Certainty
by SlamBam04
Summary: AU/No ZA Beth Greene is a shy librarian working at a college where she spends part of her lunch hour fantasizing about the handsome man sitting across from her. A chance encounter, as well as a tragedy, bring Beth and Daryl together, and a strong bond is formed. This is a slow burn, good ole' fashioned love story folks. Bethyl. Bethyl. Bethyl. Rating may change
1. How Can I Help You?

It wasn't a secret location, quite the opposite actually. The small outdoor arena hadn't been fully utilized in years, decades probably. Ever since the drama department invested an ungodly amount of money for their new venue in the mid-1990s, this charming little grassed venue became forgotten. It still had its uses, notably for the department's annual Shakespeare Under the Stars productions and, of course, for local wedding and prom photographers. Currently the venue's most popular use was as a staff and student lounge area during lunch.

It was perfect really. Away from the parking lots, streets, and high populated areas, it gave the allusion of being its own small valley. The high walls that once served as barriers between the actors and the audience provided shelter from the cold winds in the fall, whereas the huge oak trees that lined the outside edges provided a cool reprieve during spring and early summer. Beth absolutely loved being out there during her break, and often wondered why more people didn't take advantage of this location. Even still, she was happy to know it was her own secret world.

Well, okay, maybe not hers alone. Over the course of the ten years working at the college, Beth did find she had to share her space with other like minded souls. There were the regulars; Professor Lincoln who sat towards the front, facing stage left. Professor Riggs who sat on the opposite side (stage right). Towards the middle of the grassy field sat Mr. Cohan, head of the HR department, and Mrs. Holden, resident IT expert, sat upper middle left. Then there were the handful of students, the only real ever-changing people who ate there. For whatever reason, the students tended to sit towards the top of the small arena. Different faces, different semesters, same look of contentment and confusion. A few people came and went, but overall, that was the community that shared the arena during lunch. Beth loved it. There was comfort in the certainty that this was their space. Beth smiled at that thought. That and the thought of Mr. Blue of course.

So, that actually wasn't his name. Beth didn't know it or anything for that matter about her lunch crush. The first time she saw Mr. Blue, walking down the stage to what would become his regular spot under a large oak tree, Beth had been listening to the old country song "Blue" on her player, and the moniker just stuck. She knew he probably worked on the campus but short of walking up and asking him, all she could do was speculate. Although the college was fairly small when compared to others, most departments kept to themselves. The only reason she knew any of the names of the people in her lunch group was because she had met them in the circulation department at the library where she worked.

Mr. Blue was attractive. Very, very, attractive. He was a combination of Paul Bunion and the Brawny Man. Those were really the only descriptors she could generate considering she never got close enough to get a proper look. It appeared he had brown, shaggy hair, coming down below his ears. Mr. Blue typically wore dark jeans or khakis with a blazer, making Beth think he was likely an educator or other school personnel. There wasn't usually a whole lot of socializing in the group, so Beth figured it would be rude to break with the norm to interrupt him during lunch.

That wasn't the only thing that made her keep her distance however. Beth figured that the woman Mr. Blue always ate lunch with would probably not appreciate her walking up to him.

Mr. Blue always arrived to lunch first, and only then did Beth feel it would be okay to stare and admire him. As soon as Mrs. Blue arrived, Beth made herself stop. Sometimes though she couldn't help herself. The couple seemed so comfortable and happy together, that Beth had to sneak a few peeks. Mr. Blue would gently pull on her shirt when it appeared she had said something funny. Mrs. Blue would playfully slap his knee when it seemed he said something inappropriate. Their interactions were so comfortable and familiar to each other, that Beth found herself sighing as she watched. As much as Beth enjoyed admiring Mr. Blue's looks, she found herself admiring their relationship more.

Things at the Georgian college library where Beth worked were often dull and monotonous, yet she didn't mind. Beth had always been an avid book lover, so having access to every book imaginable through databases and private collections was a match made in heaven. These days Beth had little time to play around, especially during the fall semester, arguably their busiest time. As one of the campuses few librarians, Beth was tasked with taking orders from professors for course materials, and making sure the book store was stocked.

She was also a book healer, as her sister so lovingly called her, being the only librarian on campus who could successfully bind and restore almost any old book. During her ten years working at the library she had also developed a knack for locating out-of-print, rare, and first editions, a skill that elated both her father and brother-in-law. These skills made Beth a minor celebrity in their community which only served to make her chuckle, considering there were only seven in her department.

Beth was currently trying to locate an out-of-print for the Biology department when her supervisor Patricia walked by. "Orders in, Beth. Up front" the old woman didn't even bother stopping as she passed, but Beth understood the drill. She sighed loudly as she stood up and made her way to the front.

Typically, orders for books were submitted through the library website, so the fact that someone had physically showed up at the front desk meant that whoever it was had waited until the last minute and was desperate. She never understood why people assumed that meeting face to face meant a speedier delivery. Already frustrated, she made sure to take her time, knowing that whoever was waiting for her was probably in a panic, and therefore be extremely unpleasant with her. As she stepped out of the back hallway into the reception area she let out a quiet gasp and felt herself go red. Mrs. Blue stood across the counter, reading one of the library pamphlets, tapping her pen on the desk. _Well this is awkward_ she thought, knowing there was absolutely no reason for her to feel that way.

"Hi, you wanted to see me?" Beth smiled as wide as she could. _Kill her with kindness Greene, kill her with kindness. _

The woman frowned and tilted her head "I'm sorry?" Mrs. Blue looked confused.

Beth sighed again. She was ready to dislike this woman. _Whatever Beth, you already don't like her._ All those times Beth had observed the pair during lunch came quickly to her mind. Jealousy was her least favorite trait, but dammit if she couldn't stop herself from feeling it this moment.

"You had a book order you wanted to place?" Beth wasn't looking at the woman, choosing to focus on the pen the woman wouldn't stop tapping instead. _At least she isn't wearing a ring. _Beth took in that minor victory.

"Oh, yes! Sorry, I didn't realize that was you. I guess I assume everyone who works here is my age or older." Beth glanced up at her and noticed the gentle manner in which Mrs. Blue smiled at her. The tapping sounds drew their attention back to Mrs. Blue's hands, and the older woman suddenly becoming aware of her actions "I can't ever seem to stop myself from doing this, very rude behavior on my part, I do apologize" she laughed as she put the pen back into its holder.

_Damn it Bethy, I think she's alright._ Beth reached out to move the pen holder away and accidentally knocked it over. It was Beth's turn to laugh "I can't ever seem to stop myself from doing something embarrassing. Must be why they keep us in the back."

Mrs. Blue laughed "Well lucky for you, all my blunders usually happen in front of my students, and they can be very unforgiving." Both women giggled "Yes, I can see that. Students are the worst!" Beth smiled at the woman, having already forgotten her initial disdain.

"Well then," Beth straightened, going into librarian-mode "how can I help you Professor…"

"Carol, just call me Carol" she smiled that warm smile again that Beth couldn't help but reciprocate.

"Carol, nice to meet you. I'm Beth, what can I do for you?"

Carol picked up the pen again, seemingly without realizing it and took a deep breath. "I teach Child Development over at the psychology department. I'm embarrassed to say that I placed an order for what I realize now was the wrong edition of one of my books, and now I'm a little panicked that my students will never know the story of Aspergers and how it ceased to exist as a developmental disorder."

Beth feigned a gasp "Oh my, well we can't have that" she shook her head as though she knew exactly what Carol was talking about. Beth slowly began to walk towards her office "Don't you worry, you're in good hands now" she waved Carol to follow her to her desk. "Lucky for you this type of thing happens all the time, and I'm a bit of a pro. I'll just need you to submit a new order form along with your class information. Also, if you have the UPC number of the textbook you accidentally ordered, I can quickly put a stop on that one and rush the next order" Beth knew she was babbling at this point, and that Carol was probably as confused as she was a bit ago, but she couldn't help it. Once an order came in, Beth got into her zone and was ready to go.

"Just have a seat here while I look up the order history, and we can get you what you need." Carol had a seat in front of the desk as Beth quickly opened her database and got to work. "This happens all the time Carol, so no need to worry" she watched the older woman absentmindedly reach for one of the pens on her desk and resume her tapping. "Just because it happens all the time, doesn't mean I don't appreciate all you're doing" Beth smiled at Carol, and got to work. _Yep, this woman is good people. _

"Are these your children?" Carol had picked up one of the picture frames that sat on Beth's desk.

"If they were, they'd be a lot more spoiled and dressed a heck-of-a lot better" Beth laughed as she picked up another frame. "They're my nephews, Charlie and Michael. I love those two more than all the stars and moons." she smiled as she put the picture down. "How about you, do you have any children?"

Carol's smile faded just a bit, sadness pooling in her eyes "I did. A daughter. Her name was Sophia." Carol gently placed the picture back on the desk. Beth stared at the woman, feeling a knot forming in her throat. Beth slowly leaned forward towards Carol, as though about to tell her a secret.

"I bet you spoiled her rotten, didn't you?" she whispered.

Carol let out a laugh. A laugh so loud, that it echoed through Beth's small office. "Oh yes. Sophia had me wrapped around her finger, and God Bless her, she knew it." Beth laughed and continued her work on the computer, glad the sad moment had passed.

"Okay, almost done here. If you could just fill out this form and turn it back in as soon as you can, we'll go ahead and process the order." Back in librarian-mode, Beth gave Carol the form she had just printed. "The publishing company is one that our school works with a lot, so I know all the people who can help get this done quick. You should have what you need the week before school starts."

"Thank you so much Beth, you are a life saver, truly"

"Well we can't let those students down can we?" Both women stood up and Beth led her out to the front lobby.

"One last thing, before I take off," Carol turned to face Beth once they were out. "Do you know who I can talk to about binding an old textbook of mine? It's not for class, it's more personal really, but this book means a lot. My father gave it to me as a child and I hate that the cover and bindings are wearing so thin."

"That would actually be me" Beth tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, a tick she'd had all her life when she got nervous. She wasn't use to so much face-to-face interaction, limiting most of her conversations to emails or phone calls.

"Well, you're the jack of all trades now aren't you?" Carol winked.

Beth giggled. "Only here." _Everywhere else I'm a hot mess_.

Beth sighed as she worked out the logistics in her head. "We're packed heavy right now with orders, so all book restorations have been placed on hold" Beth paused as she looked around, making sure none of her coworkers were around to hear the next part. "But if you bring _me_ your book, I'm sure I can get it all fixed up for you." Beth continued in a hushed tone "It might take a few weeks, maybe even a month since I'll have to work on it between other projects, but it'll get done."

Carol looked stunned "Oh Beth, dear, don't you trouble yourself for that, it really isn't urgent-"

Beth waved her off before she could finish. "Oh you stop that! If I can find time to bind all of my brother-in-law's manga after my nephew ripped the covers off, I can certainly do the same for yours."

"Beth, thank you!" Carol placed her hand on Beth's, emphasizing how grateful she was.

Beth smiled. "Of course. Us lunch buddies got to stick together right?"

Carol frowned, apparently confused. "Lunch buddies?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, um…" Beth's face turned red. In her mind, Carol and Mr. Blue were so much a part of her daily routine that she just assumed it was a part of theirs.

"I, uh, I have lunch at the old theater. I've seen you and Bl-" Beth felt sweat bead up on her forehead "uh, your boe, eating there from time to time." Carol had stopped tapping the pen she had somehow ended up with again and stared at her. _Must be why they keep us in the back _Beth reminded herself.

Carol smiled, picking up on Beth's embarrassment, but kind enough to not bring it up. "Isn't that the best place for lunch? I can't imagine why it isn't more popular."

Beth smiled, feeling her face return to its natural shade and let out a grateful sigh

"I agree."


	2. I'll Make it Pretty Again

_11:38, surely Patricia wouldn't mind if I snuck out early?_

Beth continued to stare at the clock. She'd been nervous about heading out to lunch that day, maybe even a little excited if she really thought about it. It would be the first lunch she'd had at the arena since her interactions with Carol, and Beth didn't know what to expect. It was the first time in years where Beth would not know how her lunch hour would go.

Typically, she was a study of consistency, knowing without a doubt what lay in front of her on any given day. The certainty of just _knowing_ wasn't there this day, and to Beth's disappointment, she found herself missing it.

_Oh gosh, that's just depressing. Am I really this boring?_ Beth suddenly had an image of Maggie laughing her ass off at that question. Yes, Beth really was that boring, so maybe it was time to change things up a bit.

Beth stood and walked towards the staff lounge room to retrieve her lunch. Today was the perfect day to start breaking the rules she decided.

She found her supervisor sitting in the large table in the middle of the staff room looking over the school's catalog, updating all the changes that had taken place over the weeks leading up to the new semester.

"Patricia, I'm taking off for lunch now" She knew Patricia would object. If Beth was a creature of habit, then Patricia would be its creator. Beth took her lunch bag out from the refrigerator and headed towards the door.

"But it's twenty to 12?" the older woman looked up at Beth as if taking an early lunch was the strangest thing Beth had ever done. To her credit, it probably was.

"Yeah, but I'm actually pretty ahead of schedule, so I figured the extra twenty minutes wouldn't hurt" Beth smiled at the woman as she passed her by. _Baby steps Greene, baby steps_

"Okay, see you at 1" Patricia barely finished the sentence before she went back to work.

_Beth Greene, total bad ass_. Beth laughed at her private joke as she made her way out to the grassy field.

Beth rubbed her hands together, mentally scolding herself for forgetting to pack her gloves. _Being a rebel, comes with a cost. _ Although September had barely arrived, the days were already getting chillier by the hour. It seemed as if every year Beth forgot about the upcoming winter months, and would forget to pack accordingly before leaving her small apartment.

_Who you kidding, you've been so preoccupied with Blue recently that you just aren't thinking right! _Beth shook her head and reached for another cracker. Maybe she had been obsessing over Carol and Blue over the past 24 hours, but she couldn't help herself. She'd been nursing a crush on Blue for a long while now, and after her interactions with Carol, Beth's crush, albeit an innocent one, had only seemed to grow. At this point, she was no better than she was at 15 when she was in love with Leonardo DiCaprio. Beth sighed as she finished her sandwich. She might as well covet Leo too since she had as much of a chance with him as she does with Blue. Now that she met Carol she felt slightly ashamed for her feelings, knowing that it was wrong to covet after another woman's man, especially when that woman was a really nice person.

Beth took a sip out of her travel cup, enjoying the taste of apple juice as it hit her tongue. She closed her eyes and remembered that look in Carol's clear eyes when she mentioned her daughter, and how the sadness never really went away after. Beth knew about loss. She had lost her mother years ago. She never thought she'd be able to feel anything but agony or despair. The thought of feeling anything besides that was foreign to her at that time, and she wondered if Carol had felt the same.

_Of course she did, Beth._

Beth couldn't imagine what the pain would be to lose a child. The thought of losing her "Chuck" or "Muck" was enough to make Beth tear up, and they were only her nephews. Beth said a small prayer for them, and for the little girl she never knew, and attempted to force those sad thoughts away by remembering happy times of her and the boys.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Beth opened her eyes to see Carol standing above her, smiling her smile that reached her eyes. Beth returned the smile with a short laugh.

"No, of course not. Hi Carol, fancy meeting you here." She sat up straight and patted the grass next to her "Please have a seat and make yourself at home."

Carol chuckled as she joined her, placing her book back in between her and Beth "Thank you Beth. I figured it would be rude to ignore you now, seeing as we are officially, what did you call us, lunch buddies." Carol winked at her. It was strange that such a small gesture made Beth want to hug this woman.

"It sure is getting cold isn't it?" Now it was Carol rubbing her hands, looking up as she did at the clear sky above.

"Yeah, it'll probably start snowing before we know it" Beth followed her gaze upwards. "I want to come out here and eat when it's all covered, but I'm too much of a coward when it comes to the cold. You'd think after all these years I'd be used to it."

"Have you lived here your whole life?" Carol turned to look at her.

"Yeah, born and raised." Beth looked down at her lap "I grew up on a farm a few hours away. That farm's been in our family for over a century." Beth found herself thinking about the years she spent living on that land with her family, and suddenly an overwhelming sense of homesickness enveloped her. Carol must have sensed it and placed a hand on her back.

"That sounds lovely" both women smiled and went back to looking at the sky.

"Well," Beth reached for her drink, trying to change the topic "speaking of family and very old things, you said you had a book?"

Carol nodded and turned to her bag. "Yes," she went through its contents, flipping through binders and folders that only a professor would have "my old DSM, here it is." She took out a small book and handed it to Beth. The book looked like any typical paperback, and was no thicker than one of her journals. The cover was tattered and worn, but Beth could still make out some of the title printed on the front.

"Mental Disorders?" Beth read from the mustard-yellow cover and looked to Carol with a frown "your daddy gave you a book called Mental Disorders?"

Carol laughed and nodded "yes, yes he did. And before you ask, I did read this book. I read it a lot." Carol took the book back.

"My father was a psychologist and taught at this school many years before I did. He specialized in Personality Disorders and was writing a book on it before he passed." Carol was stroking the front of the book in a manner Beth suspected she did a lot.

"In psychology, every disorder you can think of; depression, anxiety, multiple-personality," Carol waved her hand "on and on, all of them, are in this book. The full title is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, and it's what psychologists use to diagnose people" Beth frowned, trying to grasp the concept of that.

"Imagine a collection of check lists" Carol attempted to clarify. She opened the book to a random page "for example, you come to me saying you're having a hard time sleeping, concentrating, and often believe you are multiple people at once?" Carol scanned the page and looked up at Beth. "I'm sorry to say, but I suspect you may have some form of neurosis, specifically the dissociative type"

Beth laughed and nodded her head "well, that does explain a lot. Thanks Carol"

Carol smiled "at least you know now." She looked lovingly at the book. "Over the years, this book has been updated a lot. The one we use today is five times thicker and a lot more politically correct than this one. This version here came out the year I was born. My father said he just knew I would grow up and follow in his footsteps, so when I graduated high school he gave me this, his old and worn copy of the DSM-2."

Beth reached for the book and looked at it again. She turned it over in her hands, gently opening the pages and examining the spine. There were a few pages that looked as though they were moments from falling out, but she knew it was salvageable. Carol began sniffling, and reached in her bag for a tissue. "I'm sorry," Carol blew her nose "its allergies, really. I'm not getting emotional over this book." She put the tissue in her pocket and continued to stare lovingly at the book.

"Well Carol, I can tell this book is strong and resilient. The spine is worn, but in overall good shape. It should be easy to bind it together" she looked at the woman in front of her and nodded. "Don't you worry, I'll make it pretty again."

Carol closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "How wonderful."

When she opened them, she was staring across the field and began to laugh.

"Oh Daryl, he's probably wondering what I'm doing way over here." Beth knew exactly who she was talking about before following the woman's gaze. Across the way Mr. Blue was staring back at Carol, clearly confused. He tilted his head slightly and continued to stare, alternating between Carol and Beth.

_Daryl? Not Thor, or Zeus, or…Blue? _Beth took advantage of this moment to stare at the man.

Carol laughed as she stood up, Beth following suit.

"Poor guy doesn't understand that maybe I have a life outside of him" based on Carol's tone, Beth knew she was joking. Beth had seen enough of their interactions to assume that neither was the jealous type. Or at least, that's part of the fantasy she'd developed about Blue.

No, not Blue. Daryl. His name is Daryl.

"I should probably head back to him. I didn't tell him about you" Beth felt disappointment at Carol's words. It didn't seem fair that she already knew his name and a small part about him, yet she was still a stranger to him.

_Quit with the jealousy, Greene. Daryl is not yours. _

Beth turned to Carol and smiled "Well don't keep Daryl waiting. I'm sure he's curious as to why you broke with the lunch norm and came to socialize with me." Both women laughed, acknowledging that unspoken rule about the theater lunch group.

As Carol reached down to pick up her bag, Beth turned to Daryl again.

_Come on Beth, you're trying to be a rebel, bad-ass now._

Beth stared at Daryl, willing him to look at her. As if he sensed it all the way across the theater, he turned and stared back. Taking that as a small victory, Beth raised her arm and waved at him. She saw him chuckle, and he waved back.

This was, by far, the best lunch break Beth had ever had.


	3. They Don't Do That

**A/N: So I forgot to mention this earlier, but, um, you guys know I don't own any of The Walking Dead, right?**

"I could use a little help here, Muck" Beth slowly made her way out of her sister's bedroom holding a stack of pillows and sheets in her hands. A blur of black hair came running towards her before it stopped a few feet away.

"Momma said we couldn't use her stuff" he cautioned as he reached for the thick, flower printed pillow case Beth handed his way.

"Momma's just lazy and doesn't want to bother with the extra laundry" she chided, leading him back to the large family room down the hall.

"Laziness has nothing to do with hating laundry" Maggie called out from the kitchen. She made her way towards her family and bent down in front of Muck.

"And thank you Michael for ignoring your poor, old, mother" she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the head before playfully swatting his behind.

"He only does it when Bethy is here." Charlie's voiced echoed from inside their pillow fort. The five year-old was determined to stay in there until he figured out how to successfully hang the string of old Christmas lights.

Maggie followed her oldest son and Beth into the living room before she saw the small pile of bedding in their arms.

"Is that MY pillow?" Maggie made sure to emphasize the word while attempting a menacing voice.

"Argh….Charlie, quick let me inside!" Michael took off running towards the entrance of the tent, sliding awkwardly across the linoleum floor on his way in. The sisters heard both boys laugh hysterically inside, somehow believing that their tent was a magical force field that kept all sound from escaping.

"Come on Maggie, remember how much fun we'd have when we use to take momma's bed sheets and make castles outta them?" Beth knelt in front of the family couches and began unfolding the sheet she had stolen from Maggie's room. She tied a corner of the sheet to the leg of the old love seat, and extended the other side towards the boy's tent. Muck quickly came out from the fort and took the end from Beth before quickly setting to work on expanding their fort.

Maggie watched them from the kitchen counter smiling as images of both girls giggling under their blankets, while their father scolded them for stealing his flash light, played in her head.

"Of course I do, Bethy. Why'd you think I haven't taken this damn thing down?" She gestured towards the tent as Beth got up and followed her sister into the kitchen.

When Beth moved out for college, Maggie realized her homesickness right away, and determined that Friday nights would be their nights. A year later, when Maggie had married her longtime boyfriend, Glenn, she was more determined to keep their nights special, so Fridays became game night. Usually Glenn would invite his buddies from the delivery company he managed to come over, while Beth and Maggie sat at the corner drinking and laughing at the men. Years later, when Maggie had Charlie, and shortly after had Michael, Friday nights simply became family night, a tradition Beth would not soon give up.

"So any new happenings at the college you're dying to share?" Maggie sat down at the kitchen table, pouring wine into two plastic superhero cups.

Beth sat across from Maggie and took the Spiderman cup she offered. "Patricia was trying to take inventory of the new science books that just arrived, when a mouse jumped outta the box and nearly gave her a heart attack." Beth could still hear the woman's screams as the poor rodent made its way across the room.

Beth would have attempted to help her if she wasn't so busy laughing. Growing up on a farm took that fear away from her.

Maggie swatted the air, clearly not interested. "I don't care about that cranky old hag!" She took a sip from her Batman cup. "Tell me about Daryl Blue. Any juicy stories?" Maggie wiggled her eyebrows, knowing all about Beth's crush.

Beth snorted as she rolled her eyes. "Of course there aren't any juicy stories, Mags."

Knowing that wasn't sufficient for Maggie, Beth looked up at the ceiling, attempting to find a story.

"I mean, Carol stops by during lunch every day now. But outside of that, there's nothing new to report."

It was nice, really, that Carol would take the time to say hello to Beth before going to join Daryl. Still, she'd never invited Beth to join them, and outside from the occasional wave or head nod, Daryl didn't seem to give any indication that he knew Beth was actually there.

"Blue is still there every day, lunching with Carol. Who, may I add, is probably the sweetest woman at that school."

"I bet she's terrible in bed." Maggie grunted, pouring herself a second cup of wine, trying to make her sister smile.

"Oh no, they don't do that." Beth looked straight into Maggie's eyes

"Daryl is not sleeping with Carol out of respect for me and my feeling for him." Beth leaned back on the kitchen chair crossing her arms. It was possible she was a little buzzed from the wine.

"I just know it." Beth said it with such finality, Maggie had to laugh.

"You just know what Bethy?" Michael was standing in the middle of the kitchen doorway, hair ruffled, with the familiar flowered pillow case tied around his back like a cape.

"Don't listen to your Aunt Bethy, Muck" Maggie got up and scooped the four year old into her arms.

"Sometimes when adults don't wanna be adults, they go into a magical place called Denial." She placed a big kiss on his cheek and put him down in front of their fort, where Charlie's head was sticking out from inside, waiting for him.

"Shh," Maggie placed her fingers on her lips as she knelt down to Chuck.

"For mommy's sake, let's make sure Bethy stays there for a little bit longer."

She turned to look at Beth who was trying to hold back a smile.

" 'Cause mommy sure loves the stories that come out of that place." 

* * *

><p>There were less people at the theatre the following week, a tell-tale sign that winter was fast approaching<p>

"I've got great news, Carol!" Beth quickly got up from her seat when she saw the woman walking towards her. "Patricia's gonna be out this week, which means that for the next four days, I'll be running the show."

_Librarians running WILD!_

As if she read Beth's mind, Carol started laughing and slowly shook her head. "Does that mean I shouldn't expect the library to still be standing after this week?" she winked at Beth.

Beth laughed "You know it! But really, with Pat gone, I'll be able to spend more time on restorations. I feel confident that I'll be done with your book by next week."

"Well that is great news, thanks Beth! We'll need to celebrate once it's done. Oh my, excuse me…" Carol let out a series of sneezes before reaching into her bag for a tissue.

"These damn allergies. They are wearing me out. I've had the worst headache all week, ugh" she blew her nose and looked out across the field. "Daryl thinks I should stay home and rest, but I refuse to give my students the benefit of a cancelled class."

"Why's that?"

"Oh, last week they laughed when I was showing them some correlation graphs. They're a set of dots that are supposed to show the connections in experiments." Carol shrugged as she put her tissue away. "Anyway, all the students swore they saw nothing but phallic symbols up on the screen" she nodded towards the field as she reached for another tissue. "Daryl swore he saw it too when I showed him. What an ass."

Beth liked it when Carol brought up Daryl because it was a perfect excuse to stare at him. He was so use to Carol's visits with Beth by now that he hardly looked their direction anymore.

Currently, he was alternating between writing and reading something from what appeared to be a textbook.

"Is Daryl a professor as well?" Beth didn't look away from him as she spoke

"Yes, for the Science department. He's an Environmental Ecologist" Carol smiled softly as she, too, stared.

_Hmm, I wonder if that mouse Patricia found was his doing._

"He teaches in the graduate department." Carol continued, wiping her nose.

"Sustainability, living off the land, that sort of thing. If it were up to him, he'd escape to the woods and never turn back."

She turned to look at Beth, who hadn't looked away from Daryl. "Honestly, I think his secret love of reality television is the only thing that keeps him here."

Beth couldn't help but laugh. A laugh so loud, it made Daryl look up from what he was doing and stare right back at her. Beth had just learned something juicy about him. Maggie would be so proud.

**A/N:** **Awwww, you guys! I am so overwhelmed and humbled by your reviews and private messages! When I first posted this, I told myself it would be okay if only one person read and reviewed it, but you have all blown me away. Every time I hear the little "ding" of receiving another follow/fav I do my Snoopy Happy Dance. **

**Really quickly: I'm born and raised in the west coast, so all I know about Georgian life is limited to TWD and Wikipedia, so I apologize if things are a bit rough in that area. Also, I haven't written a lick of fanfiction since I was in high school, and that was many, many, moons ago, so I appreciate your patience if the grammar is weak. **

**Again, thank you all for reading and reviewing! The next chapter is pretty much done. I just gotta "pretty it up" before it's posted (I'm thinking it'll happen either later tonight or sometime tomorrow). That tragedy I mentioned in the summary, um yeah….stay tuned!**

**-Mir**


	4. Hope All is Well

**A/N: I own NOTHING Walking Dead. If I did, I would send the entire cast to each and every one of your homes and have them give you all big, wet, sloppy kisses as gratitude for all the lovely reviews/follows/favs/PMs! **

_Bad-ass Beth doing bad-ass things_

Beth hummed her little tune over and over as she finished the last stitch in Carol's book.

Beth acknowledged that sneaking into the library's pressing room to restore a 46-year old book for a friend was not high in the bad-ass department. Still, it was the first time she'd ever done something like this, and it gave her a small sense of excitement.

When she'd restored Glenn's books in the past, she hadn't given them the full treatment. They all knew that sooner or later Muck or Chuck would tear through them again and Aunty Bethy would have to come to the rescue.

This book was different however. It meant something special to Carol, so it should be treated as such. Beth wanted to make sure Carol's book was as close to flawless as she could make it. Seeing as how Patricia was gone, and no one else in the department would give her a second glance, Beth figured this was as good a time as any to finish it.

_Carol said we could celebrate. Two bad ass chicks celebrating…over a book._

Beth laughed as she pictured them in some loud club, music thumping, dancing with the yellow book between them.

_Maybe I should suggest to Carol that she bring Daryl?_

Beth let that thought linger as she stood in front of the book binder, placing the now sewn cover on the heated plate. After all, Daryl did spend a lot of time reading from his textbook, so wouldn't he want to celebrate the rebirth of an old one?

"Or I could just spend a nice time with Carol" she argued to herself as she slowly brought the level down and gently pressed the new plastic binding onto the cover. Despite herself, she couldn't stop hoping that their celebration might come to include a handsome ecologist professor.

_Bad ass Beth thinking bad ass-thoughts_

* * *

><p><em><em>A few hours later Beth was staring at the perfectly restored DSM-2 in her hands. Beth was so proud of her work, she did a little cheer in her office. The sound of a stack of order- forms falling off her desk brought her back to reality and back to librarian-mode. Still, Beth was happy with the final product, and was eager to let Carol know._  
><em>

After she retrieved the papers, she turned on the computer and logged on to her email. They'd never exchanged phone numbers, choosing to communicate via email instead. Beth preferred it that way anyway, considering she was always on her computer looking up one thing or another for the library. An added benefit to their email exchanges were the links she would send Beth about authors and other storytellers from across the world. Both women bonded over their shared love of literature, and Carol was a pool of knowledge when it came to that subject.

"Carol, you're favorite (diagnosed) neurotic has finished restoring your Mental Disorders book" Beth spoke out loud as she typed. "It looks better than it did in 1968, I'm sure. I'll bring it to lunch tomorrow!" With a quick click, Beth sent the message and leaned back in her chair.

_Another job well done. _

Beth placed her hand on the book and softly stroked the front page.

_Good work Greene, good work_

Beth didn't know what was stranger, the fact that Carol hadn't responded to her email, or that neither her nor Daryl were at the theater for lunch the following day. It wasn't the first time Beth had been left alone during lunch, but for whatever reason their absence just didn't seem right.

She put her gloved hands to her face and let out a slow breath.

_Well this is just disappointing _

Beth was eager to see the look on her friend's face when she gave her the book. She'd just have to wait until the next day.

When Carol didn't show up again, she started to worry.

"Hey Carol. I haven't seen or heard from you in a couple of days. I have your book, let me know if you'd like me to stop by your class and drop it off. I hope all is well."

Beth turned to look at the small stack Patricia had placed on her desk earlier that day. One of the librarians was retiring, so rather than hire a new person, Beth would be absorbing her responsibilities. Beth picked up the small manual and let out a sigh. She turned back to her computer.

"P.S. Patricia wants me to take over the responsibility of proofing the undergraduate's thesis. She says I have to learn how to format papers according to APA format. Since the 'p' stands for 'psychology' I was hoping to get your help, lunch buddy!"

Beth didn't really need Carol's help, but she hoped reaching out to her would encourage a faster response.

_I hope, I hope, I hope…_

* * *

><p>Another week had come and gone and still no trace of either Carol or Daryl. Beth didn't know anyone from either the science or psychology department, and all of her friends had graduated years ago. She wasn't sure who she could ask to find out if her friend was okay.<p>

_Maybe they're on vacation together. _Beth closed her eyes and tried to remember if Carol had ever mentioned an upcoming trip.

_Hadn't Carol said it'd been years since she'd had a break? _

That was probably it. Yep, Beth was certain that was the case.

_This is as good time as any to take a little break. Right in the middle of the semester, around when midterms were taking place and students and professors were frantic trying to get things done before the Thanksgiving break…_

Beth knew that was highly unlikely, but what else did she have to go by? She was sure she would see her Carol in a few days, probably tanned and relaxed, excited to share her adventures.

_Some times when adults don't wanna be adults, they go to a magical place called denial…_

Thursday morning Beth arrived a half hour late, having slept through her alarm clock. She was expecting Patricia to be standing at the desk staring her down as she walked in, but she hadn't.

_That's odd_.

One of Patricia's favorite past times was catching staff trying to sneak in.

Beth walked into her office and turned on her computer. As she waited for it to fully warm up she reached for the files in her box to review all the new orders that had arrived.

Tara walked in just as Beth let out a set of expletives "Morning sunshine," she laughed as Beth looked up at her with a scowl "Aren't you chipper this morning? I'm going to go sneak off and get the biggest coffee I can find. Wanna come?"

Beth inhaled deep, and closed her eyes.

_Yes, I really do_

"I can't, I just walked in, and Patricia would be so teed if I left right now." Beth shook her computer mouse, hoping the movement would speed up the monitor. The department really needed an upgrade.

"Patricia's been in with the Dean and some other people all morning, I doubt she'll notice if you're gone."

Beth pondered that for a second. "Well, that explains why I was denied my morning treat of Patricia Eyes."

Tara grinned and gestured for Beth to follow her.

"Nah, I'm good, thanks Tara. I should probably get a jump on things."

"Okay, baby-girl. I'll come bug ya later." Tara walked out as Beth laughed.

Both women liked to joke about their age differences when compared to the other librarians. Beth was "baby-girl" because she was 28, whereas Tara was "old-fogie" because she was 31. The next oldest would be Olga, 56.

Beth took out her cell phone and realized she had missed a call from her father. Silly man, he knew Beth barely looked at her phone first thing in the morning.

She made a mental note to call him back during lunch as she opened her email.

Beth stretched her arms above her head and let out a large sigh. _How can you be tired, you literally just woke up_. Beth glimpsed at her computer screen, and felt the blood drain from her body.

From an outsider's perspective, Beth's inbox wouldn't look suspect at the least. The fact that the Dean of the university had sent out an email from his personal account wouldn't raise an eyebrow. But Beth knew that wasn't the norm.

The other detail was the simplicity of the heading. Nothing special or unique, it simply read "Professor Carol Peletier."

Beth stared at the screen for a moment, not wanting to open the email just yet. She felt a large knot form in her throat, and felt tears pooling in her eyes.

_Oh Lord, please. Please, no_

Beth pushed her chair back and turned away from the screen. She reached behind her to pick up a picture of her nephews; the same one Carol had admired a couple of months back. She closed her eyes, and made herself turn back to the screen. With shaking hands, she reached for the mouse, clicked on the email, and read the Dean's message.

* * *

><p>Less than an hour later, Beth was walking towards Maggie's front porch. She hadn't had the chance to knock when Glenn opened the door, rushing to get to work.<p>

Glenn stopped immediately as he processed what was in front of him. Within seconds he was calling for Maggie.

"She's gone" Beth sobbed as her sister came out.

Putting her own hands to her face, Beth continued.

"Carol's gone. She passed away last night. Maggie…" her sister pulled Beth into her arms.

"Maggie, Carol's gone."

**A/N: I hope I didn't upset anyone. This is part of the story I'm trying to tell and I promise things wont be grim for long. This is suppose to be a sweet love story after all. Hope you all trust me!**

**This chapter made me sad. Reviews make me happy! Soooo happy!**


	5. I'm Gonna Miss Her So Bad

**A/N: I would like you all to picture a 33 year old, grown-ass woman, running hysterically around her kitchen island. That was ME this week because of you, you lovely fools! Thank you THANK you for every review/PM/follow/fav! Not only is this helping me with my cardio, but it also motivates me to move faster on this fic! **

**As always, I own nothing Walking Dead, besides my internet bill that allows me to watch this amazing show. IF I did own it, I would make all the actors read out loud all your lovely names during an episode, while simultaneously kicking zombie ass.**

It was close to 10pm when the house finally reached the Hallelujah Zone, the term Maggie and Glenn used when the boys were finally in bed.

Glenn had opted to stay home and look after the boys while Maggie tended to Beth. It was a late night for them all, especially since the boys were overly active and emotional once they realized the state their beloved aunt was in. Beth knew they were little and weren't able to comprehend the nature of Beth's behaviors, so trying to put on a show for her and outshine each other wasn't as unwelcoming as Maggie thought it would be. Still, it was a bit of a relief when the boys finally passed out.

With Chuck and Muck finally settled, Glenn placed a kiss on his sister-in-law's cheek and excused himself, leaving the two women alone in the living room.

Both sisters sat on the couch processing that day in the still and quiet of the night. After a few minutes, Maggie began to sing.

"Sweet visions attend thy sleep, Fondest, dearest to me,

While others their revels keep, I will watch over thee"

Beth was curled up next to Maggie, knees pulled up to her chest, head on her older sister's lap. Maggie slowly stroked her hair as she continued the lullaby.

"Slumber my darling, the birds are at rest,

the wandering dews by the flowers are caressed.

Slumber my darling, I'll wrap thee up warm,

and pray that the angels will shield thee from harm."

Beth closed her eyes as Maggie sang the hymn their mother use to sing to them when they were children.

She couldn't imagine how something like this could happen to Carol. How something as common and boring as the flu could be significant enough to end her friend's life.

She squeezed her eyes tighter and tried to remember exactly what the dean's message had said.

_Complications stemming from the influenza virus…hospitalization …weakened immune system…cardiac arrest._

She hiccupped into her sister's lap and continued to weep.

_The message doesn't matter. Explanations don't matter. Carol is gone. That's it._

"Slumber my darling, till morn's blushing ray,

brings to the world the glad tidings of day,

fill the dark void with the dreamy delight,

slumber, thy mother, will guard thee tonight"

Beth opened her eyes and stared at the portraits Maggie had hanging on her walls. Pictures of Glenn and the boys at a park, Michael and Charlie smiling with their Grandpa Hershel at the farm, Maggie and Beth caught in an embrace, Maggie and Glenn on their honeymoon.

_I wonder if Carol had family portraits in her home. Of her and Sofia during happy times maybe?_

"How is this possible, Maggie? How does this happen?" she turned her head and looked up at her sister. Maggie wiped a single tear from her own face as she looked straight ahead. Carol's death had both women remembering the death of their mother, a memory that, five years later, continued to ache.

"I don't know Bethy" she whispered.

Beth slowly sat up, staring at a family portrait of the Rhees. She suddenly felt exhausted.

"Maybe Glenn can look up the answer for us." She spoke softly, a sad smile on her face.

Maggie let out a quiet chuckle. Earlier, in a feeble attempt to dull Beth's pain, Glenn thought it would be helpful to look up the number of deaths attributed to the flu per year. He was just about to quote an article from the CDC website before Maggie cleared her throat loudly. Beth was still uncontrollable at that point, so Maggie not- so-subtly told Glenn that maybe that moment was not the most appropriate time to be reading statistics.

"I swear that man" Maggie rolled her eyes and looked back to Beth "I promise you, he'll be sleeping in the garage for the next week for that."

Beth placed her head on her sister's shoulder. "Not the couch?"

"The couch is too good for him" Maggie patted Beth's leg and leaned her head onto her sisters' as well.

They sat in silence, both women lost in thought.

"I'm gonna miss her so bad" Beth's voiced cracked as the tears came flowing again, squeezing her eyes shut as Maggie's left arm curled around Beth, bringing her closer.

"Tell me some of the things you'll miss?" Maggie whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair.

Beth was quiet, images of Carol's smiling face filling her head.

"Her little quirks. Like, she was always tapping something. A pencil, her finger, her bag straps."

Unconsciously, Beth began tapping her finger on her sister's leg.

"Her laughter and how it would echo no matter where you were. The stories she would tell about her students." Beth was smiling again, lost in her memories.

"How she was so genuinely grateful for every little thing." Beth turned to her sister.

"I think that's what I'll miss the most"

* * *

><p>It was strange how normal the following week was.<p>

This irritated Beth.

Thesis requests arrived, book orders were submitted, archived documents were requested, yet no one was mentioning Carol. It just didn't seem right.

"Assholes." Beth muttered after a group of undergraduates came into the office asking about the status of their online orders. Tara raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, but if those students were serious about getting their books before the deadline, they should have ordered those weeks ago."

Tara nodded in agreement giving Beth a small pat on her arm. Tara knew how much Carol had meant to her, so she let her friend vent.

"Baby-girl, I'm worried about you." Tara and Beth picked up a set of books, and made their way to the back. "You gonna be able to handle going to the memorial?"

Beth stopped in front of Tara, causing both women to drop their books.

"Memorial?"

"Yeah, didn't Pat tell you?" Tara bent down, reaching for the books

"The psych department is having a celebration of life in Professor Peletier's honor."

Beth looked at her friend and shook her head. "No, Patricia didn't mention it! When is it taking place?"

Tara shrugged "I think she said it was Friday?"

Beth gasped. She curled her hands into fists and looked up to the ceiling. "That….BITCH!"

Tara laughed. It was so rare for Beth to swear at work that she when she did, it sounded funny.

Beth quickly turned around and walked off, ignoring both her friend and the pile of books she left her with.

"Patricia pulled me aside today and made a big freaking deal about me working on Friday so that I could catch up on all these orders." Beth was fuming as she turned the corner

"She probably knew about the memorial, and wanted to make sure I didn't go. My god, that woman is such a control freak."

She got to Patricia's door and paused. She was embarrassed to admit it, but now that she was standing in front of the supervisor's office she started to panic a little. She wasn't use to standing up for herself, simply happy to let things be.

_Come on Beth, grow a pair!_

She took a deep breath.

_For Carol_

Tara peaked from around the corner, and gave her a thumbs up. Beth smiled at her friend's encouragement and looked back at the door.

"That old biddy is gonna hear from me" Beth whispered to herself.

She knocked first and opened the door immediately knowing that Patricia was currently "unavailable". It was a quarter 'til four after all. Everyone in the library knew what that meant.

Beth walked in as Patricia stretched in front of her, doing the classic upward facing dog yoga pose in the middle of her office. Beth wasn't surprised. It was, after all, Patricia's daily yoga break.

She opened her eyes and stared daggers at Beth. No one ever interrupted Patricia during yoga.

"Patricia, as you are aware, my friend Carol Peletier died last week. There's a memorial taking place in her honor on Friday, and I have every intention of going." Patricia let out a long breath and stretched herself onto her stomach.

"Everything will be caught up before then. Every book will be ordered, every draft will be completed, every stack will be finished, EVERYTHING."

Beth stared down at the woman, who looked ridiculous in whatever new position she had just put herself in.

"So just so you know, I'll be going. To the memorial. On Friday."

_The return of bad ass Beth!_

Patricia stretched out again, a look of boredom replacing the anger from earlier.

"Okay, dear." She gasped as she moved into a crow pose, closing her eyes in dismissal. "Make sure you close the door on your way out."

* * *

><p>Friday morning Beth walked into the psychology department's conference room. The room was large and open, tables set out with drinks and finger foods. Each table was decorated with a different portrait of Carol from various moments in her life. More than a few of those portraits included pictures of her holding a beautiful little blonde.<p>

_Sofia_

There were large canvases placed all throughout the room where people were invited to write down their favorite memories of Carol. Beth read a few of the entries, chuckling at the sweet stories people had shared.

She found an empty table slightly hidden in one of the corners and sat down. She stared at the brightly colored candles and flowers surrounding the room, and admired how the Christmas lights hanging across the walls gave the room a magical feel. Music was playing from somewhere, an odd collection of tunes for the room to enjoy. Beth recognized songs from Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, Run DMC, and The Civil Wars.

_That's an odd combination_ Beth thought as she took a sip from her punch. She then remembered Carol's love of pop culture as David Bowie came on.

_No, that's just right_

There had to be close to a hundred people in the room, none of which Beth recognized. She was the shy librarian after all, never really setting foot outside her books.

Still, she felt comfortable in this place. All of them had something in common; they knew and cared for Carol.

_Okay, I can handle this. I am handling this_.

She looked down at her lap and stared at Carol's book. She didn't know why she thought to bring it. It was comforting she supposed. Beth placed her drink on the table and opened the book to a random page.

_Dissociative neurosis. Characterized by a lack of sleeping, difficulty with concentration, belief in the existence of multiple personalities…_

Beth stopped reading as the pages became blurry. That was the same disorder Carol had originally mentioned to Beth when she first gave her the book.

Tara was right, maybe she wasn't ready for this.

Beth got up and moved quickly towards the door. As she went through the threshold, she ran face first into what she assumed was a wall but then realized was a person.

"I'm sorry, excuse me" her voice cracked as she continued on, tears now running down her face. Beth ran out of the building, clutching Carol's book to her chest.

**A/N: Thank you all for hanging in there! The next chapter is the one many, if not all of you, have been waiting for! **

**Oh, and every time you leave a review, a new Bethlyer gets their wings**


	6. Just Go

**A/N: I own nothing The Walking Dead. If I did, I'd have the cast take you all out for ice cream, and ask about your day…**

It was funny to her how things just managed to continue. Winter arrived, the lion that it was, and life just…happened.

Beth worked, laughed with friends, spent time with family, went home to her apartment, went to bed, woke up, and started anew. She was determined to keep herself busy and happy; she couldn't afford to lose herself like she did before.

She was never the strongest in her family, physically or emotionally. Those traits were left to her brother and sister. Shawn, the oldest, was physically strong. Maggie, her hero, was emotionally strong. Beth was just there, coddled and spoiled rotten, the baby who lit up the sun. When their mother passed, Beth lost it. Without having the ability to cope, she fell into a catatonic state that terrified her family. Looking back, Beth realized how selfish she had been, not allowing them to properly mourn the death of their mother, instead focusing their attention on her.

She would never do that again. She would learn to be resilient and strong now that Carol was gone.

And part of that included breaking out of her routine.

She began with little steps, such as spending lunch time with Tara rather than alone. Initially, Tara had joked that Beth was only joining her because Beth couldn't handle the cold, which to be fair was partially true. She did hate going out in the snow, but she wanted to spend time with her friend more. Beth knew how fleeting those moments could be.

"Tuna salad?" Tara teased as they sat in the student cafeteria. "You're eating a tuna salad sandwich today? You're right, you are a rebel now!"

"Yes I am." Beth teased back, taking a large bite of her sandwich.

Yes, she was a rebel now, and rebels didn't eat turkey and cheese for lunch every day.

"And look," she pulled out a small baggie from her lunch bag. "I brought cookies instead of apples this time."

Tara stood up from her chair and raised her hands in defeat. "This is too much for me right now" she took a few steps back "I don't want you getting me into trouble with all this mutiny." Tara walked away from their table as Beth laughed at her friend.

Tara had been excited after Beth had told her about her plans to go out of her comfort zone. Though no one cheered her on as much as her sister had, that was for damn sure. Still, that didn't stop either of them from teasing Beth as often as they could.

As she took another bite of her sandwich, Beth scanned the busy cafeteria, getting absorbed with all the movement around her, staring at all the people as they went through their day. One of them caught her eye.

The man appeared to be looking for someone, scanning the room as well, wearing a scowl on his face.

_Hmm, he's handsome_

Dark curly hair, strong jawline, clean shaven, masculine features, no more than 40 maybe? She was terrible with ages. He turned his attention towards Beth and she noticed his dark eyes. She felt herself blush though it wasn't necessary, it didn't appear he was actually paying attention.

"Here ya go, baby-girl." Tara came back to the table with two ice cream cups in her hands, drawing Beth's attention away from the man. "Another week surviving Patricia's hot flashes. We've earned this." She handed one to Beth as she sat down across from her.

"Thank you, old-fogie!" Beth raised her spoon and Tara followed, clanking them together before digging in.

"What were you staring at?" Tara turned to where Beth's attention was seconds ago.

Beth gestured with her spoon "That guy over there, wearing the black t-shirt and jeans." The man was turned away from them, staring out the glass walls that surrounded the cafeteria. "He looks lost."

"He's cute" It was Tara's turn to stare at the man as she brought a spoonful of chocolate to her lips.

"You should go talk to him, ask him if he needs assistance" she turned to Beth "Maybe ask him if there's anything you can do for him?" she put the ice cream inside her mouth and smiled.

Beth shook her head at her friend and continued to eat her own

"What?" Tara asked innocently, gesturing towards the man. "I'm just sayin', it couldn't hurt. That's how me and Amy met."

Beth rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Oh my god, you old fogie, that is so not how you and Amy met!"

Tara stared at her friend, same mischievous grin plastered on her face.

A few seconds passed and both women began to laugh. A minute later, they were wiping tears from their eyes, having gone into full blown hysterics.

_Winter Madness has set in, thank goodness spring is a few weeks away._

* * *

><p>Beth smiled as she made her way to the theater. As much as she adored spending time with Tara, she was happy to go back to her little piece of heaven. She had invited Tara to join her of course, but Tara had politely declined stating she had too much work to catch up on. This made Beth love her more. She knew that Tara was staying back intentionally out of respect for Beth. She knew that the theater was Beth's special place.<p>

As Beth walked down the paved walkway leading to the arena, she thought about the past year and every way her life had changed.

From the outside it all looked the same. Beth still lived in her single bedroom apartment, still worked in the library, still spent Fridays with Maggie, and the last weekend of the month at the farm with her father. The changes were all subtle, but different nonetheless.

For example, Beth started paying more attention to herself, like wearing actual makeup besides her lip moisturizer. It wasn't anything too noticeable, but it was new, and that what enough for her.

Additionally, she caved and went clothes shopping with Tara and Amy, who delighted in updating her wardrobe.

"Just because you're a librarian, doesn't mean you have to dress like one." Tara's girlfriend had teased as she sent Beth into the dressing room with skinny jeans and pretty blouses.

Maggie had encouraged these changes as well, suggesting that to keep up the momentum she should try one new thing every week. It didn't have to be huge, but enough for Beth to notice. This week, she would eat in the theater while there was still snow out, something she avoided like the plague.

_Beth Greene, total menace_

Beth slowly made her way up the once-grassy mound leading to the arena and paused as she came within sight of her familiar space.

_Yep, still here_.

Beth let out a huge sigh as she sat down, closing her eyes and letting the cold air fill her lungs.

With eyes still closed she reached for the ground with her gloved hands "Heavens, how I've missed you."

She slowly opened her eyes and saw a familiar figure, roughly a hundred feet away, sitting in his usual spot under a tree.

_Daryl._

Beth felt the familiar knot in her throat form, and the tears pooling in her eyes, realizing it had been a long time since she pictured him there.

Granted, she'd thought about Daryl from time to time, but it was usually after she had been thinking about Carol. Since her death, Beth had found herself more interested in psychology. One day Beth had an engaging conversation with one of the psych students after Beth had helped him with his thesis. He told Beth about a technique called "thought-stopping" which was essentially that…stopping a thought as it came and replacing it with something better. Whenever she would think of Carol (or Daryl for that matter) she would focus on something happy. Over time, she found herself relying on that technique less and less.

But there was no stopping the thoughts of Daryl right now. Not when he was right there in front of her.

Beth saw him take a drag from a cigarette. She'd never seen him do that before, and it made her sad.

_He's still in mourning. _

After a few minutes he stood up, stepped on the cigarette he had just thrown on the ground, picked up his bag and walked away.

Beth sat there stunned, feeling as if she had seen a ghost.

_A ghost of a man, maybe_

He had lost a considerable amount of weight, enough that she noticed from that distance. He looked smaller for some reason too, walking without the swagger he had previously.

_He lost his friend too. He lost his Carol._

Beth looked down at her hands and took a deep breath, trying to will the tears away.

They fell anyway.

* * *

><p>A full week had passed and Beth was once again in the theater, lunch by her side, unopened. It didn't matter really, she wasn't hungry. She was too nervous to be hungry these days.<p>

_But not too nervous to be absolutely freezing_

She sipped from her thermos, the hot coffee burning her tongue as she waited. A few minutes later, he arrived.

Beth's new routine these last couple of weeks had been to show up at the theater every day, despite the weather, and wait for him. She had been starting to suspect he would never make another appearance until that moment when he finally showed.

Daryl slowly shuffled towards his spot, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette, before sitting down and opening his book.

She felt ashamed for doing what she was about to do, but knew she didn't have to be. She loved Carol. From how she spoke about him, she knew Carol loved Daryl.

She was doing this for her friend, not for herself.

With a small sigh, she gathered her things and stood up. The second she did so, all fear and shame left her body. She felt her shoulders go back, confident, as she made her way towards the man.

She walked slowly, giving him plenty of opportunity to see her approaching. Beth clutched her purse in her hands and felt the cold ground at her feet with every step. When she was a few feet away, Daryl looked up, and locked eyes onto hers.

_Wow_

He was more handsome than she could have realized from so far away. Looking back into his eyes, she realized how appropriate her name for him had been.

He tilted his head slightly, a look of confusion across his face.

_So what now Greene?_

Beth struggled to think of something to say, how to even begin what she was about to do.

_Just go with what's in your heart, Beth. _

_Just go._

"Hi" she practically whispered it, not sure if he actually heard her. Daryl's eyes opened wider, as if he didn't think Beth would actually speak.

Beth sat in front of him, taking a deep breath.

"I only knew Carol for a few months before she passed" Beth brought her purse up to her chest, and pressed it against her heart. "In that short time, I came to know that I had met the most amazing, beautiful, lovely person ever" she smiled as she looked to the side of him, choosing to stare at the oak tree.

"She had the funniest stories. No one could make me laugh the way Carol could."

Beth smiled as she remembered one lunch when Beth was left in tears after Carol had told her a story about a students falling asleep in her class.

She finally looked at Daryl, who continued to stare with that sad look in his blue eyes.

"If I have a lifetime of memories from my short time with her, I can only imagine the centuries of memories you must have, and for that you are so very fortunate." She smiled at him. Daryl looked down. She thought she saw him nod but couldn't be sure.

Beth looked down and opened her purse.

"I'm sure you know that I was working on this for Carol before she…" Beth felt the tears slide down her cheek.

_Dammit_

She'd been doing so well up to that point.

"I was working on this before." She simply finished, as she took the yellow book out and stared at it lovingly. She looked up and held it out to Daryl.

"It meant a lot to her. I know its proper home is with you."

Daryl stared at the book and then looked at Beth. She nodded, encouraging him to take it. He put out the cigarette on a small pile of snow next to him before he reached for the small book, their fingers touching briefly. A sensation came over her, a spark she couldn't place, one that she allowed herself to feel. Daryl took the book and focused on the cover, gently stroking it in the same manner Beth had done hundreds of times before.

Knowing it was time, Beth slowly stood up and started to turn away, but stopped.

"Daryl?" He looked up at her quickly, as if he had forgotten she was there.

"When I lost my mother, I also lost a bit of myself. I didn't cope with it very well, and it nearly destroyed me." She wiped the few tears that had escaped and kept going.

"I was terrified. I mean, from one moment to the other, everything was different. I would never see my mother, I would never be whole again. Or so I thought. It was just scary knowing that things could change so quickly, ya' know?"

She knew she was babbling. The confidence and strength she felt earlier was leaving her. She pushed her hair behind her ears, though there wasn't a hair out of place.

"What helped me the most was focusing on things I knew could never change, things I could depend on. Those things tethered me to the present, and made life easier again. Like, the roosters crowing every morning, the sun rising and setting," Beth looked up to the sky "the clouds moving across the blue. Stars twinkling on a clear night."

"It's the certainty of life" she smiled looking back to him. "Find whatever that is for yourself, and you'll see you'll have a reason to smile again."

Beth shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "At least, that worked for me." She whispered.

With one last smile, she finally turned around and started making her way towards the library.

"Beth?"

Beth froze. His voice sounded strained, rough even. Beth turned as she saw his eyes staring right through her, that familiar sensation returning to her when she realized she never told him her name.

Daryl stared at her for a few seconds before looking down to the book in his hands. Faster still, he returned his gaze to her. Beth let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

She smiled, understanding what he was trying to express.

"You're welcome."

**A/N: Yay! They've finally met!**

** My original chapter had them both running towards each other, getting nekkid and dirty….however I felt that wouldn't be appropriate for this story. Even still, I enjoyed writing this chapter because I felt THIS is the beginning of their love story, the one I've had running in my head for a while.**

**As always, THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK YOU ALL for the kind words. I am so humbled for the reaction this has gotten so far. Every time I get a new review/pm/fav/follower I get choked up. There have been tears, not gonna lie! I love you and I like you all!**

**Oh! And since it's been so long since I've fan-ficked, I totally forgot to put the song credit in the last chapter.**

**"Slumber My Darling" –Stephen Foster (although I was hearing the Alison Krauss version)**


	7. A Place Girls Go To Sometimes

**A/N: This chapter is slower than the previous ones, but we're starting to build something here folks. I hope you all continue to trust me :)**

**As always I own nada Walking Dead. If I did I would have the cast come out to your homes, and act out your deepest fantasies with you.**

* * *

><p>The next day Beth found herself at that theater again leaning on the tree trunk that had been her haven for the past ten years. Although she hated the cold, Beth found herself loving the sight of the snow covering the arena, giving it an old-fashion feel. The theater was set up as stadium seating with alternating rows of cement and grass filling the entirety of the arena to accommodate an audience. Currently, the grass was replaced with dry tufts of dead ground as well as the small mounds of leftover snow covering the lifted stage area up front.<p>

A handful of regulars were there, most of them like her, hiding from the theater during the winter months. Beth knew her regular lunch crew would return soon.

Beth put her headphones on and began humming along to the twang of the guitar playing from her phone. She looked around and felt happy.

She was well rested, having had the best sleep she'd had in months, and her whole body hummed in appreciation. She scanned the outdoor venue and saw that Daryl had arrived at his usual spot. He looked at her direction and smiled, raising a tentative hand in greeting. Beth smiled and waved back before finishing her lunch and singing along to Alison Krauss.

* * *

><p>Wednesday morning she woke up after another glorious night. She realized she had even beaten her alarm clock, having woken up a whole hour earlier than usual. It didn't matter, she felt well rested. She went through her usual routine, going into her small corner kitchen and setting up her coffee pot before jumping into the shower. She turned on the news as she gathered her clothes, more so for the noise than to be informed. As she dried her hair, she remembered the straightener her sister had purchased her. She looked at the time. It was still early and had plenty of time before work.<p>

_Why the hell not? Let's go for straight hair today!_

Forty five minutes later Beth was rushing to get to work. She put on a flowy black and white striped skirt and a black cardigan over a burned-yellow blouse. It was still cold out, so she put on some black tights for warmth. She was about to put on her comfy loafers before the yellow kitten-heels Amy had made her purchase caught her eye.

_Why the hell not? Let's go bright heels today!_

As she put on her heels, she glanced over to the mirror. She stared at her own reflection, a foreign feeling overwhelming her.

_Greene, you kinda look pretty _

Beth continued to stare, slightly uncomfortable by how nice she looked. Her straight hair tied in a loose side pony tail coming down mid-shoulder. The skirt, a little shorter and flashier than she was used to, but still work appropriate. Even the heels stood out in a manner that drew attention to her.

Looking at the clock again, Beth quickly applied some brown eyeliner, deciding to skip the lips and cheeks that day. She didn't need to be standing out any more than she probably would.

_Baby steps Greene._

* * *

><p>"Beth, you look amazing!" Tara's voice echoed throughout the library, causing more than a few people to turn her way. Beth quickly shushed her friend as she felt her face go three shades red.<p>

"Did you straighten your hair? And, wow, are you actually wearing THE heels?"

"Oh shush Tara, you're acting like I've never dressed up before." She scolded her friend, mostly out of embarrassment.

"Sorry baby-girl. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable" she followed Beth into her office and stood by the chair in front of her. "I'm just sayin' you look very beautiful today."

"Thanks old-fogie." Beth relaxed knowing her friend meant well "Patricia have anything exciting for us today?"

"Yep" Tara pointed to stack of order forms Beth had pretended not to see moments earlier.

"You have a lot of books to heal, my friend."

Hours later Beth was back in front of her computer, preparing order forms when Tara and Amy walked in.

"We were thinking of getting lunch off campus today, wanna come?" Tara hovered by the door as her girlfriend walked past her.

Amy went around the desk to Beth's side and grabbed both of her hands, forcing her to stand. "Let's go to AJ's. It's been forever!"

Beth looked over at the clock, knowing the place was going to be packed at that hour.

"We'll order ahead, so we won't be late coming back." Tara stated, clearly reading her mind.

Beth stared at the clock again. _Greene, even when you're a rebel, you're still a wet blanket._

"No." Beth looked back and forth between her friends.

"Let's just order when we get there, who cares if we're late."

Amy and Tara looked at each other, clearly shocked at their friend's act of defiance.

* * *

><p>Just as Beth suspected the place was busy and booming with life. AJ's was the town's most popular diner, having the best burgers and fries she'd ever tasted. They managed to get an open table with Tara and Amy sitting on one side, and Beth, always the single one, sitting on the other. As she picked up her menu, she noticed the subtle touches and glances the two women gave each other before sharing a menu, Amy leaning onto Tara's shoulder. Beth forced herself to look at her own menu. It was moments like those that made her feel alone.<p>

_Stop…think happy thoughts_

An image of Daryl waving at her the day before quickly came to mind.

"Can I take your order?" The waitress who approached their table looked annoyed, as if asking them that question was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Uh," Beth looked at her friends who were clearly amused by the waitress' tone. "I think we still need another minute." She said politely.

The waitress rolled her eyes as she walked away.

"Someone took an extra dose of Bitch this morning." Amy stared at the woman as Tara laughed.

"Ah, be nice, Amy" Beth smiled as she put her glass of water to her lips. "I'd be angry too if I had those eyebrows."

"Holy shit baby-girl!" Tara laughed, amazed at her friends fiery response.

Beth shrugged as she looked down at her glass, secretly pleased that she had managed to shock her friends.

When the waitress returned, the girls placed their order and happily fell into conversation with one another. Minutes later when they're food arrived they realized there was no silverware.

"So, who wants to ask Eyebrows for utensils?" Amy looked at Tara and Beth.

Beth looked towards the counter and stood "I'll just go get some. I don't want to bother our waitress any more than we already have."

She walked towards the front of the diner and waited patiently for the hostess. As she did, Beth felt someone's gaze and turned to her left, only to see black t-shirt guy from before staring at her from a few feet away.

_You gotta get more creative with names, Greene._

Beth sent him a closed mouth smile before turning back to the counter. She still felt his eyes on her and turned back again. He nodded to her in greeting. She turned again and smiled at the counter.

"Excuse me," Beth asked the hostess when she arrived. "Could I bother you for some silverware?" The woman nodded and turned to get the utensils while Beth's gaze went back to brown eyes.

"Hi." He said smiling as he spoke. Beth smiled again in return before turning to the woman and taking the silverware from her. "Hello," she responded as she walked back to her table feeling his eyes following her.

"You okay?" Tara asked as soon as Beth sat down.

Beth shook her head and kept it down, unrolling her napkin onto her lap. Out of her peripheral, she saw him walking up to their table, and felt her heart start pounding.

_No, no, no, just keep walking by. Don't stop here._

She had no such luck. Beth saw both Tara and Amy look up as the man approached her and lean in to speak to her. Beth made eye contact with the handsome man standing a few inches away from her face.

"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen." His voice was low and sultry. As much as she tried to stop herself, she actually felt herself swoon.

He winked and moved slowly back, straightening as he went.

"Shane Walsh? Your order's ready" the hostess called from across the diner.

Mr. Walsh turned and walked towards his order, but not before giving her the biggest smile she'd ever seen.

"Okay! That settles it," Amy was beaming as Beth tried to slow down her breathing. "You are straightening your hair from now on!"

* * *

><p>No, she wasn't going to be straightening her hair every day Beth decided the next day, once she was back in the safety of her theater.<p>

She probably wouldn't wear heels for a while either. It was nice getting attention from a nice looking man, but that was too much for one day. She only just started wearing lipstick for goodness sake.

_Gosh Beth, you sound like Prudy McPrudison from Prudyville_

She laughed as she remembered one of the many colorful terms her sister had for her throughout the years. Yes, Beth was a lot more modest than her sister (or friends even) had been, but she wasn't completely naïve. She'd had several boyfriends over the years, two serious ones that she guessed could be described as passionate. But still, something was always off. Maybe that was something she needed to work on next. Maybe she needed a heavier shove out of her shell.

She looked at the purple nail polish she was wearing. She was glad she had chosen to put the multi-colored glitter on top of the purple coat, it made her nails look shiny and fun. She had just started wearing nail polish too. Beth stretched her hands out in front of her. She liked how the glitter sparkled out there in the sun, and how the colors complimented the-

"Am I, um, interrupting something?" Daryl's voice startled Beth, who let out a short cry as she jumped in her seat, quickly putting her hands on her lap.

_Must be why they keep us in the back._

Beth looked up and saw him standing over her, a small grin on his face, clearly amused by her reaction.

"Ah, no, um, not interrupting, ha ha…" Beth tried to come up with something clever or witty to say. The man who had occupied so many of her thoughts had magically appeared in front of her, but she had been too busy admiring her nails to notice.

"You just happened upon me in La- La Land." Beth was sure her face would be burning read forever.

He chuckled slightly before he gestured to the ground besides her. "Mind if I sit down?"

Beth shook her head, "no, not at all please, sit." _Cool it Beth, be cool._

Daryl sat next to her and pulled out a cigarette pack from his front pocket. "Is this okay?" He gestured towards his pack.

"Yeah, that's fine." Beth smiled, still not quite over the initial shock.

He lit the cigarette as Beth forced herself to look around the theater. She saw Professor Riggs and Mrs. Holden looking in their direction. The theater lunch group never socialized so she was sure this was quite a sight for them.

"So, La-La Land, huh?" he smiled at her, voice gruff and masculine as he took his first drag.

"Yeah," Beth dared to look at him and chuckled. "It's a place girls go to sometimes. It's okay if you've never heard of it." She smiled, feeling immediately comfortable next to him.

He glanced sideways at her before taking another drag.

"Okay." He nodded as he looked in the direction of his usual spot, apparently contemplating what she had said.

The snow was mostly all gone at that point. The sun warm and bright and the sound of birds singing around them indicating that spring had pretty much arrived.

"I like it here." She wasn't sure if Daryl was speaking to her so she didn't respond, only nodding in agreement.

He turned to her and looked at her hands, still properly placed on her lap. "I like your nails." He smiled before taking another drag and looking out across the theater again.

Beth giggled before following his gaze. They sat quietly together for the rest of the lunch hour.

Beth was still adamant that she'd avoid the straightener and heels for the time being.

But she'll still do her nails.

That she'll keep.

**A/N: Catch it, folks! Catch all this love and gratitude I'm throwing your way! I am so overwhelmed by your responses. I am so not worthy!**

**So, I added Shane in there…surprise! I promise I don't write things for the shock value of it all. I have this story practically finished already, and every chapter has its purpose I promise. Just hang in there if you don't mind.**

**I want to send a special shout out to Carpediem-365 for your awesome support and encouragement throughout this process. You so awesome…I love you boo!**


	8. This Isn't About You

**I own nothing The Walking Dead. If I did, I'd have the cast take you all out for a stroll along the beach, just to watch the sunset, and tell you how special you are. **

The following two days Daryl came to sit next to her, both times asking permission before doing so. Beth was tempted to tell him he didn't need to ask, but figured he was asking more so for his sake than hers, so she stayed quiet.

Thursday he sat and smoked his cigarette, staring out across the theater, whispering every now and then to himself. Beth thought it sweet that he felt comfortable enough to let his mind wander in front of her, being at peace in the silence.

She enjoyed the feel of him inches away. If she wanted to, she could reach out and touch him. Something about that gave her goose bumps.

Friday afternoon he brought a book that he quickly opened as he sat, turning the pages as he inhaled from his cigarette. It worked out perfectly; Beth had brought one of her books as well. _What an adorable pair we make_. As he settled down, Beth did a double take as she saw the cover in his hands.

_Is that a rubber ducky?_

She glanced up to him, brows furrowed in confusion, but he was too engrossed with the pages to notice. She looked at the cover again before sighing and returning to hers. From the corner of her eye, she noticed both her and Daryl turned the page of their respective book at the same time. She chuckled quietly and he turned to her.

He cocked an eyebrow as she smiled awkwardly.

"Oh, it's nothing" she answered his unasked question, turning back to her book.

After lunch was over, he did the same thing; collect his belongings, put out his cigarette in his water bottle (the only thing he'd bring with him to lunch), and stand up quietly, staring up ahead for a minute before looking at her.

"See ya, Beth" he'd smile at her as he'd walk away.

Beth never thought she'd look forward to the moments when Daryl would leave her. That came to be her favorite part of the day.

* * *

><p>"Aw, Bethy, that is the most depressing thing I've ever heard."<p>

Yup, Beth could always count on her sister to give her perspective on things.

"What? I'm just sayin' I really like how he always says 'see ya next time.' That means he's planning on seeing me. You know… _next time_."

Beth realized just then, saying it out loud, how silly that sounded. Still, she wasn't going to give her sister the satisfaction of being right.

It was a bright day that Saturday afternoon. Maggie and Beth were outside in the Rhee's garage standing by as Glenn worked on the family car.

"Yeah, I get that it sounds sweet, but until you have a serious conversation, I wouldn't read too much into those words" Maggie looked down to her husband "What do you think, Glenn?"

"I agree, honey. Whatever you say" he responded from under the car.

Beth rolled her eyes. That had been Glenn's response to all of Maggie's comments that day.

Maggie smiled at her sister as she raised her ice tea in celebration. The sound of the boys kicking their soccer ball in the front lawn drew their attention away for a second. Charlie, the more athletic of the two, kicked the ball with ease between his feet, while Michael tripped twice as he tried to catch up to his older brother.

"Whew, this one's a beast." Glenn rolled out from under the car and quickly stood up.

"Your turn" he handed the socket wrench to Maggie as he gave her a quick peck on the lips.

Maggie grabbed the wrench from his hands and took Glenn's spot from under the car.

"What do you really think Glenn? I'd like to hear a man's perspective."

Beth looked at her brother-in-law, curious for his opinion. He never pulled any punches, always telling her what she needed to hear.

He took a long gulp from his beer as he stared at Maggie.

"I don't know what to tell you Beth." He turned to her, shrugging his shoulders.

"How about you tell me that he must like me, 'cause otherwise he wouldn't come sit with me?"

Glenn just nodded, turning his gaze to the direction of his wife.

"Possibly." He took another sip from his can.

"Glenn, pass me the thingy" Maggie called out from under the car. Glenn turned and grabbed a lug-wrench from his tool box.

"It could also be that he's just lonely" he continued as he reached down and handed the tool to Maggie. He stayed crouched beside the car before looking up at Beth. "Just…don't be surprised if he stops showing up. He's just sitting with you for now. That's all."

From under the car, Maggie's arm came out and pinched Glenn in the arm. Hard.

Beth stared at him, determined to believe what she wanted to believe. "No, I think it means something."

He sighed, absentmindedly rubbing his arm.

"I agree, Beth. Whatever you say."

* * *

><p>Sunday morning Beth woke up after finally having slept a couple of hours. That particular night was a rough one and she thought she'd never fall asleep. She turned over on her bed and stared at the ceiling.<p>

She didn't have any plans that day. No meeting up with friends, no day trips to be taken, no shopping to be had. Tara and Amy had gone out of town to celebrate their anniversary that weekend so she couldn't call them. Sundays were set aside for Maggie and her boys, and Beth was not going to interrupt that. She didn't want to call her daddy, he would just worry about her and beg her to come home.

Beth closed her eyes and began to cry. She didn't know why she did this. It just happened from time to time.

_Am I really going to do this today?_

Nope, she quickly sat up and looked at the clock. 5:47am. She wiped her tears and stared out the window. After thinking about it a bit longer, she quickly put on her tennis shoes, cropped yoga pants, and a zombie t-shirt. She was not going to spend another Sunday morning feeling sorry for herself. She grabbed a baseball cap, the one she had stolen from Glenn to be exact, and headed out the door.

She was going to go on a little adventure.

* * *

><p>It was a cold outside, so much so that Beth considered going back into her apartment and getting her jacket.<p>

_Nope if you go back you'll be tempted to stay put. _

_Just keep walking, Greene._

Although she'd lived in her apartment for a while, it was rare for her to actually go out and explore. She'd been on several walks before, but always took a familiar path, the one that led her to work. This brisk morning she decided to go somewhere different.

This Sunday morning, Beth decided to turn left.

She would explore the unfamiliar.

As she turned down a road she rarely went on, she let her thoughts wander. She started thinking about how nothing had really changed in her life. How a person could pick two random days from her life and find that they were very similar, despite what time period they were chosen from.

S_top the thought…think happy thoughts_

Chuck and Muck.

The thought of her two nephews always made Beth smile. She really did have the best family in the world. Her nephews were the light in her life. Still, Maggie had already had Muck when she was Beth's age, and here SHE was spending her weekend alone, strolling down these empty streets...

S_top the thought._

Daryl.

The quiet, handsome man. The sad man…

_Oh…no, stop THAT THOUGHT._

Beth sighed as she stopped walking, taking in her surroundings. _Maybe this walk wasn't a great idea._

Beth found a bench along the sidewalk and took a seat. She had no idea how long she'd been walking, and despite the cold, felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

She took Glenn's baseball cap off and smiled.

She had walked exactly 2.3 miles.

She knew this because she had accidentally wound up in front of the sheriff's department. When she originally moved into this neighborhood, one of the first things her sister had done was look up how close the nearest police department was. That's how she knew…2.3 miles.

Beth let out a big sigh and looked up to the sky, trying to guess how long she'd been walking.

"Are you wonderin' how to get back?" Beth quickly looked in front of her. She saw a young man, boy actually, no more than 17, staring back at her.

She looked at him puzzled, not sure what he meant. The boy grinned something wicked, and Beth knew she was in for a treat.

"How to get back where?" she asked innocently, returning his grin.

"To heaven, 'cause you're obviously an angel trying to get back home." He blushed a little as he said it which made him look that much more adorable. Beth's smile turned into a laugh. A good, hearty laugh that felt great to let go.

"Ah, Carl, I did not just hear you say that." The woman had appeared from around the corner, holding a baby in her arms, grinning at the boy with eyes full of love and affection.

"I apologize on behalf of my step-son" she turned to Beth "It appears I still have some work to do on him."

The woman had the most beautiful, flawless, dark skin Beth had ever seen. Her short hair, bright brown eyes, and pearl white teeth made Beth think of royalty.

"Come on, Michonne" the boy looked at her, obviously embarrassed and gesturing her away.

Michonne laughed and handed him a blue bag she had been carrying with her free hand.

"Please child, like I'm the one who embarrassed you right now. Here, go take this to your father." The boy took the bag and started walking down the street towards the sheriff's department.

"And tell Rick that when I married him, it was under the assumption that he'd remember to pack his own damn lunch" she called out after him.

The boy laughed as he continued to walk

"Love you, Carl!"

"Yeah, yeah" he mumbled as he waved, not turning back.

Michonne turned to look at Beth who had not stopped smiling during their interactions.

"He pretends not to like me, but I know deep down he only slightly dislikes me." Michonne laughed as she sat down next to Beth.

"He's a teenage boy, I think that's the only way they show affection" Beth smiled, turning her attention to the baby in the woman's arms.

"This young lady is beautiful, hello there." The infant immediately leaned towards Beth, almost sliding off of Michonne's arms to get into Beth's.

"Yes, please take her, my arms are killing me." Michonne stretched. "Last time I suggest walking all the way here with a thirty pound sack of potatoes."

Beth held the baby, her chunky legs and feet hanging above her lap.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" she spoke directly to her.

"This is Candace. Cadie, actually, and she is very happy to meet you"

On cue, Cadie began bouncing up and down on Beth's lap, clearly rejoicing in the attention she was receiving.

"I love this time of year. I'm happy I can finally enjoy the outdoors with this bundle" she reached over and took Cadie from Beth, placing a big kiss on the infant's forehead.

Both women turned to the sheriff's department as two figures emerged, Carl and an older man. Michonne stood and turned to Beth

"Thanks for the company-" "Beth" she finished looking up at the woman.

"And the pleasure was all mine."

Beth looked on as the woman crossed the street and made her way towards her family. As Michonne and the man shared a brief kiss, Carl looked across and waved at Beth.

She suddenly remembered a similar moment she'd had with Daryl so many months before.

She liked that memory, especially how happy it had made her.

Beth smiled and waved back.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Beth watched Daryl walk across the theater towards her. She had been inspired by watching Michonne and Rick the day before to try her "something different" today.<p>

_Its game time, Greene. Don't wuss out._

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked roughly before he sat.

"No, not at all" she shook her head and scooted over for him.

As he settled down, reaching into his front pocket for his pack of cigarettes, Beth turned to him and decided to make her move.

"You know, Daryl, you really are giving me quite the complex." He looked at her as he put the cigarette to his mouth, trying to process what she was saying.

"There you sit every day, doing your thing and not eating. Meanwhile here I am, every day, chowing down on my lunch as if it were the last meal I'll ever have."

He looked down, reaching for his lighter.

"I'm not hungry, is all" he lit the cigarette, probably realizing, like her, that this was the longest conversation they'd ever shared.

_And I'm lecturing him_

"I don't care if you're hungry or not, but your actions are hurting my self-esteem, so you better make it up to me." She reached for her bag, and took out the extra sandwich she packed.

"Here. It's chicken on honey wheat bread. I prepared the chicken myself, and made the bread from scratch. Now, I don't mean to brag, but this is probably the best chicken sandwich you'll ever have."

He reached out for the food slowly, careful even. He looked at the sandwich as if it was the strangest thing he'd ever received.

"This isn't about you Daryl, it's about me, and making me feel better about myself. So eat it."

Her heart was beating as if she had just completed a marathon, but she was determined to get him to eat something.

_And if he so happened to fall in love with me in the process, so be it. _

She watched him take his first bite. Then his second. Then his third. She stopped watching after she realized she was grinning. But it was okay, he was smiling back at her too.

"Quit with that look, girl, I'm still deciding if I like it" he told her between bites. She chuckled and took a bite of her own.

_Yep, this moment is going into my happy thoughts._

"By the way" he took the last bite and looked at her. "You don't 'chow' down your food. There shouldn't be anything wrong with your complex. So stop thinking that, okay?"

Now he was lecturing her, and it was fine by her.

"Okay" she smiled, putting that thought away as well.

**A/N: You people really know how to make this girl feel special. Never-ever in my Bethyl dreams did I think this story would get the response it has been getting. Honestly, I just assumed my mom would be the only one who'd read it, and I thought I'd have to make up a bunch of aliases to review my little story. I am so humbled by every word, and review, every follow/fav, everything. Thank you all so very very much! You all complete me. You all had me at hello! **

**-Mir**

**p.s. as you can tell, I'm starting to bring people together. It's all part of my master plan. Muahaha! Also, I put in a very VERY subtle Doctor Who reference in here, just for funsies, and because I'm a dork.**


	9. Why You Gotta Make Me Like You

**I own NADA The Walking Dead. If I did, I'd have the cast take you out shopping, and tell you how fabulous you look in those pants.**

Beth took it as a personal victory the following week when she saw Daryl walk up, holding his own lunch. She also couldn't help from smiling to herself the second he sat down. She started playing with her hair, sneaking peeks, and smiling some more.

"Laugh it up, girl. Just don't go sayin' I told you so." He took out a simple sandwich that he finished in three bites. Not that she was counting.

"I would never." Beth feigned being insulted as she took bites from her salad.

Daryl pulled out an orange and began pealing the skin. "Ha. Yeah, I bet you'd never."

He licked the orange juice dripping from his fingers before pulling out his book. Beth saw the familiar bright yellow object on the cover, and figured it was as good a time as any to ask.

"Hey, Daryl?"

"Hmh?" he grunted, not turning away from his book.

"Why are you reading a book about a rubber ducky?" That got his attention. He looked at her, and then turned the book over as if trying to remember what he was reading.

"It's not about a damn rubber ducky" he continued staring at the cover.

Feeling bold, Beth reached out and took the book from him.

"Slow Death by Rubber Duck," she read out loud "The Secret Danger of Everyday Things." She scrunched her nose as she looked up at him "Why on earth would you read something like this?"

He shrugged as he reached for his cigarette. "It's for one of my undergrad classes. Trying to teach kids about the chemicals that are put in everyday objects. Stuff that will kill you over time."

Beth shrugged and handed his book back. "Sorry I asked."

"It's no joke, Beth, this modern world is filled with things that'll get you killed. Fake sugar, cleaning products, plastic bags. We're better off living in the woods."

"I believe you, but I guess I prefer ignorance." She took another bite of her lunch.

"Ignorance will kill you." He smiled, winking at her as he did so.

"Says the man smoking his second cigarette?" She responded nonchalantly, as she went to grab her own book. A split second later, she froze.

_Oh dear god, did I just say that out loud?_

_S_he turned to Daryl who looked at her behind half-closed eyes.

_We are not close enough yet that I can make fun of him like that. Are we?_

Daryl held her gaze a bit longer and then started to laugh. A throaty laugh that made her entire body shiver. He shook his head and went right back to reading.

_Maybe we are._

* * *

><p>After lunch Beth was practically skipping as she walked towards the student store, clipboard in her hand, Tara hot on her heels. Tara always came with Beth to do in-store inventory. For one, she got to leave the library for a few hours. Secondly and most importantly, Amy worked across the hall at the student activities center, so it was always a treat for her to see her.<p>

"Beth!" Amy came running out the second both women entered the lobby, apparently waiting on them from inside the building where both places were housed.

The petite blonde went around to Beth, placing both hands on her shoulders. "I've finally made the connection!" Beth turned to Tara who looked as confused as she was.

"Shane Walsh!" Amy exclaimed, as if that answered their question.

"Huh?" Beth furrowed her brow trying to make sense of her friend.

"Shane! Shane Walsh!" Amy turned to look at Tara, who was pinching her nose, apparently exasperated at her girlfriend.

"Okay, Amy, saying that over and over is not helping." Beth suddenly felt the happy feeling from earlier leave her body, being replaced by a small sense of dread.

"The guy from AJ's Cafe. The one who really liked your eyes. I knew his name sounded familiar. Turns out, he works here on campus."

"Of course he does." Beth sighed. She turned to Tara who gave her a tight mouthed smile. _This town is just too damn small_

"He's head of campus security. I just met him while I was over there, trying to set up for the Spring Equinox Festival when Mr. Walsh came out." She turned to look at her girlfriend "I started giggling like a school girl when I put it all together."

"Ugh, we're doing that damn festival again, it's so ridiculous" Tara, trying to redirect the conversation, began pulling Beth away towards the store.

Amy waved her off "I spoke to some of the students there. Apparently, he's single, has a dog, and seems to be a decent guy."

"Wow, Amy, it sounds like you found her prince, wait to go honey!" Tara rolled her eyes and continued trying to move Beth away.

"Beth, baby-girl" Amy practically sang as she followed them back. "I think you should take a quick stroll to campus security. You never know what you'll find there."

"Drop it." Tara whispered back to her. Amy at least had the decency to blush at that moment. Tara very rarely disagreed with her, but she knew Beth well.

Beth walked straight into the textbook section of the student store trying hard to forget what Amy had said, and pretended to get to work.

_Silly Amy. How long has she known me?_

_Does she really think I have the stones to be that bold?_

Beth knew she meant well, and it was actually very sweet of her friend to be so excited for her, even if it was all for naught.

She felt Tara stand by her, holding her own clipboard and mimicking Beth's actions.

"You know she has her special way of showing affection." Tara didn't look at Beth as she spoke, instead counting the books on the shelf in front of her.

"I know." Beth responded quietly.

A half hour later Patricia had called the student store demanding Beth return to the library. Apparently she was needed back to finish editing the latest batch of theses that had arrived. Beth rolled her eyes and handed her clipboard to Tara as she made her way out. As she stepped outside into the sunny gravel, she heard Amy calling out for her and turned around ready to face her friend.

"Beth, hey, um" she looked down as Beth watched her, a look of embarrassment clear on her face.

Beth took pity on her. "It's all good, Amy, I know you meant well."

Amy smiled "I just worry about you, you know?"

Beth quickly looked down to her shoes, realizing that her trusty loafers had seen better days.

"I know, but you don't have to" she replied not looking up.

"How are you, Beth? Really?" Beth finally looked up to her friend, surprised that such as simple question had startled her so much.

_How am I? _

The thought of Daryl popped in her mind. She decided quickly that was probably unhealthy. Fixating on a guy she barely knew, getting all excited over conversations and actions that were superficial, being too scared to act out on anything she actually wanted to. It was all bad. She was a grown up, after all. She couldn't continue acting like child, fawning over a boy who barely knew her.

"I'll be fine" she just shrugged. Amy took a step forward and hugged her friend.

It's funny how that small gesture made Beth want to cry.

* * *

><p>Friday morning her alarm went off. As she reached over to hit the snooze button, she accidentally shut it off. <em>Ah well, just lay here a few minutes. Don't close your eyes and fall back asleep.<em>

She stared at the ceiling, thinking as she always did. That never did her any good. She laid there for another half hour.

_It's okay; I'll just take a quick shower and go into work with wet hair. Just stay in bed a little longer Bethy._

She closed her eyes tight and seriously considered calling in sick. She just wasn't feeling it today. She didn't want to deal with people.

Actually, no. She just didn't want to deal with herself.

Another 30 minutes passed and Beth finally got up. She didn't bother showering or putting on makeup. She did wash her face and apply the same old lip balm she'd been using for ages. She put on her comfortable black slacks, white shirt, and red cardigan. She couldn't look any plainer if she tried. She just didn't care. After brushing her teeth and grabbing a banana, she picked up her purse and headed out the door.

_Thank god it's Friday._

* * *

><p>For the first time in a really long time, Beth could give a rip about lunch. She did need a break from Patricia however, who was probably in a worse mood than she was. Beth headed towards the theater out of habit, not knowing where else to spend that hour. She knew she wouldn't be eating; she'd need food for that. During her little temper tantrum that morning she'd forgotten to pack one.<p>

_You're allowed to have a bad day Greene. Just roll with it. _

She saw him walking down the hill. She wished she didn't get excited every time she laid eyes on him, but damn it, she just couldn't help it. That made her even more upset. She turned and looked in the other direction, choosing to watch a small group of students instead.

_How dare he make me feel things. How dare he!_

"Everything okay, Beth?" He asked as he sat on his usual spot, to the left, slightly above her.

She turned to look at him. Her daddy always told her she pinned her feelings on her sleeve, making it hard for her to hide anything.

"I'm just having a bad day." She looked away again.

"I know how you feel," she looked back wondering what he meant.

"I left my smokes back in my office. I'm too lazy to go back." He was trying to make her laugh, and she appreciated it. They were still a bit of strangers to each other, so she appreciated that gesture. She smiled and turned back to the students.

"No lunch today?"

"No, I forgot it at home." Beth was determined to keep her eyes off of him for as long as she could, daring herself to look straight ahead and not give into temptation.

_Stop the thought…think LOGIC thoughts_

Glenn always told her that men were easy to read, they were either into you or they weren't. If she had to read too much into any action or words, it probably meant the feelings were one-sided.

Granted at the time Glenn had been referring to a beer commercial they had just seen, but Beth was able to read between the lines.

It was time she moved on. It wasn't healthy for her to keep doing this to herself.

She could see Daryl, just slightly to her left. She saw him reach inside his bag and pull out an orange. He began peeling it and once he was finished, handed it over to her.

"I ate my sandwich on my way over here. This is all I have. Take it."

She turned to fully look at him, shocked.

"Ah hell, just take it woman." He sounded so sincere she couldn't help but smile. She reached over and took the fruit from him, smiling as he shook his head.

"Thanks."

"No thanks needed. So eat it."

She giggled, remembering that just a few days earlier she had demanded the same thing.

_Damn it Daryl, why you gotta make me like you so much. _

**A/N: I promise…all your questions/wishes will be answered/granted in no time. These chapters are a little harder to write because they are the foundation and kinda the fillers. All the good stuff is already written, and I am so gosh darn proud of it all, I hope you all like them! Thank you so much to each and every one of you who have taken the time to follow/fav/review. I feel so unworthy, and hope (and pray!) that I can continue to hold your interest. It is truly an honor. Thanks a million!**

**And thank you so much to PenelopePants for all the treats. If it weren't for your cupcakes and half eaten candy, I'd be ten pounds lighter but not as happy!**

**p.s. That book mentioned earlier is real! Written by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie. I have not read it, cause I too, like to live in ignorance**


	10. Damnit Dusty Springfield

**A/N: You guuuuuuuuuuuys! You really all know how to treat this girl so well! Thanks for the continued support! As for those of you who messaged asking when this chapter would be complete…be careful what you wish for?**

**Let us never forget, I own nothing TWD. If I did, I would have the cast take you to that restaurant you love so much and never stop telling you how beautiful you are. **

Beth was not going to mention the orange.

She was going to fight every urge and impulse not tell her sister about the orange. It was Friday family night; she was not going to bring up the fruit and the professor while her nephews played with their Legos.

She was not going to bring up how completely happy it had made her. How afterwards Daryl kept staring and smiling at her with every slice she ate. How such a simple act from him had made her feel like the world revolved around her for a fraction of a second. How that act had turned her sour mood around and made her practically float back to the office.

"You have something you wanna share, Bethy?" She turned to her sister and smiled.

Beth was currently on the floor with the boys. Chuck and Muck were busy building several different vehicles for their little Lego city, whereas Beth was tasked with making all the obstacles that the vehicles would soon be crashing into.

"I do actually," she grinned at Maggie before turning back to her nephews "But if its alright with you, just this once I'm going to keep it to myself."

Maggie's eyes widened at that comment. Beth never kept anything from her, good, bad, or in between.

"I'm trying something different today." Beth shrugged as further explanation as she placed the last block on her building.

Maggie chucked and didn't press further. Instead she went back to trying to figure out a new pearl stich for the scarf she was knitting. Maggie always hated knitting, their mother hell bent on teaching the girls that skill. Maggie figured that in order to defeat her yarn enemy, she first had to master it. Beth would never tell her sister that she was losing that battle.

"Sing a song Aunt Bethy!" Michael looked up at his aunt. He was the musician of the two boys, always humming a tune and begging his mother and sister to sing to him.

"Of course Muck, what would you like to hear?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he picked up a yellow block. Chuck stood up and started to run across the living room, flying the plane he had just finished.

Beth picked a few blocks of her own and began work on a new building as she started to sing the first song that came to her head.

"Fess it up,

dot on the palm of your hand.

I can help you to stand

Saved it up for this dance

Tell me all the things you can"

Beth sensed Maggie perk up a little from the couch she was sitting on as she reached the chorus. She saw a smile forming on her older sister, but ignored her and continued to sing.

"I just wanna sing a song with you

I just wanna be the one that's true

Maggie started smiling as she brought the scarf to her mouth, attempting, not successfully, to hide a new grin that was forming.

"Cause Blue Eyes

You're the secret I keep.

Cause Blue eyes,

You are all that I need"

Beth immediately stopped singing and froze, feeling that familiar sensation of her face heating up in pure embarrassment.

_Oh. Damn. _

At that, Maggie started laughing. "Keep going, don't let me stop you." She encouraged, suddenly realizing the source of her sister's mood.

Beth turned back to her building, going back to being an architect for the rest of the evening.

* * *

><p>Tara was a little apprehensive Monday morning, definitely not her usual self. When they passed each other in the building, Tara would smile briefly before changing direction at the last second. If Beth didn't know any better, she'd swear that Tara was avoiding her.<p>

"Hey Tara, I'm heading out for lunch, wanna join me?" Beth popped into the office Tara shared with Olga a few hours later, determined to get to the bottom of this.

"Aw, no, thanks hun. I gotta lot of work to catch up on." She gestured at a small pile of papers on her desk. It didn't seem to be a lot, but Beth didn't want to assume anything "I'll, um see you when you get back though, okay?" Tara herself seemed unsure.

"Okay sure, see ya later, fogie" Beth stepped out, feeling disappointed.

_I hope her and Amy didn't get into a fight _Beth thought as she walked outside. The weather was significantly warmer these days indicating that summer was fast approaching. She looked forward to the summer break, having the campus all to herself with the handful of staff who didn't have the luxury of getting summers off. The campus would be quiet, the hustle and bustle at the library slowing down. It was a great time to catch up on life.

She sat down and placed her lunch in front of her. Less than five minutes later Daryl was on his way down. Since the science department was on the east part of campus, he always came from the opposite direction as Beth who, coming from the library, walked from the west.

"Mind if I sit here, darling?" he said out of habit, already sitting at his spot to the left, slightly above her.

"Not one bit." She didn't look up at him, too busy fumbling with her lunch.

"So PB&J this time?" He looked at her lunch as he lit his cigarette.

"Yeah, I was feeling lazy this morning" she shrugged as he reached for his own. "Plus you can never go wrong with jam" She took a huge bite of her sandwich as she reached for her phone, eager to listen to her collection of old country songs she had recently downloaded.

Beth enjoyed the new routine and familiarity she and Daryl had been developing. She was still nursing the biggest crush of her life, but figured she should just count her lucky stars and enjoy these moments in between.

"Ah, for you its leftover I see" she saw him pull out a glass container with some sort of pasta inside. An image of Daryl in a kitchen came quickly to mind. She was embarrassed at how much that image excited her.

"Yeah, my buddy's wife sent me home with a pan full of this stuff." He spoke as he shoved a fork full of pasta into his mouth.

As she attempted to search for more conversation, she smiled to herself as she realized that Daryl had initiated this time. She did a victory dance in her head. _Baby steps, baby steps._

Today Beth had decided she would begin asking personal questions. Asking about the weekend probably wasn't the most exciting (or most colorful, especially when compared to what Maggie had suggested asking him), but she was Bethy after all.

"So," she wiped her mouth as she turned her whole body in his direction.

"Besides hanging out with your friend, did you do anything exciting this weekend?"

Daryl shrugged as he took another forkful. "Not really. Mostly just hung out." He took a gulp from his water bottle and stared across the theater.

"By yourself?"

"Nah, I had some company."

Beth quickly looked down at her lap and pushed her hair behind her ear.

_He had company?_

It was the way he said it. Timid in tone, embarrassed almost. He had shrugged and looked down at his own lap as he spoke it.

He had company. _Yep, you know what that means_

She looked up and smiled at him. She turned away and focused her attention on a handful of students who were walking across the grass. She then followed a butterfly that had crossed her vision as it flew by and then forced herself to stare at a random soda can that lay several feet away.

Of course "he had company". He was a handsome, single man. He was intelligent, caring, and liked to share his lunch with lonely librarians. He definitely was the type of man who would have company.

Completely oblivious to the bombshell he had just dropped on Beth's dreams, Daryl closed the lid to his container and stuffed it back in his bag. He reached for a folder and grabbed his highlighter and pen, getting ready to do some work before class. Beth meanwhile took out her ear buds, plugged them into her phone, and played a random song from her new playlist. She was not going to focus on this. She was not going to dwell. She promised herself she would not make this a thing as she slowly focused on the lyrics playing in her ears

"You don't have to say you love me,

Just be close at hand. You don't

Have to stay forever, I would understand…."

_Damnit Dusty Springfield_

* * *

><p>Beth dragged herself back to the library after the longest lunch break she'd ever had.<p>

_It isn't fair._

It wasn't fair that she felt the way she did. It wasn't fair to Daryl to be upset and feel betrayed for no reason whatsoever. She wasn't being fair to herself either for being so disappointed over something that had nothing to do with her. Beth sighed as she stood in front of the library door.

It wasn't fair that Daryl was moving on, and she was still exactly the same. She shook her head as she walked in.

As she approached the front lobby, Tara was there typing away at the computer. She looked up and gave her a quick smile before looking back at the screen.

"Okay, Tara, shoot. What the hell is going on?" Beth wasn't in the mood. Her best friend was avoiding her, and she could only take so much rejection that day, real or otherwise.

Tara looked up again and sighed. She leaned an elbow on the counter, placing the hand on her chin and looking her friend straight in the eyes. "I have some news for you, and I'm not sure how to tell you."

Beth rolled her eyes and walked up to her, placing both hands on the counter between them. "Try using English, emphasizing key words, and keeping good eye contact."

Tara sighed again "I was at Amy's apartment on Sunday. We were just lounging in the morning when Dre walked in. Not sure you know this, but she's staying with Amy for a bit."

"Okay" Beth wondered what Amy's sister Andrea had to do with anything.

"She was a little hung over. And she apparently had" Tara paused for emphasis "a busy night."

Beth just stared at her, still not anywhere close to figuring out what Tara was saying.

Her friend tensed and scowled before continuing. "Beth, you know where Dre works, right?"

Beth scanned Tara's face. _What the hell?_

"Um, yeah, Andrea works here."

"Yeah, but where exactly?"

"The campus? She's a secretary" Beth was still trying to figure her friend out when everything came to place.

Beth looked to the ceiling and figured it out. "She's a secretary in the science department" she finished as she dropped her head on the counter.

_Of. Course._

She hit her head lightly on the counter repeatedly. _Of course. Of course. Of course._

Tara reached out and placed her hands on Beths. "Your lunch friend works there too doesn't he, baby girl?"

Beth still didn't look up. She just made a set of disgusted sounds. "Yes he does" she said between grunts.

"Aww honey, I'm sorry, I know you had a bit of a crush on Professor Dixon, and if it makes you feel better, I don't think they're like, actually going out. I think they're just…" Beth looked up just then and gave her friend a look that suggested Tara better not finish that sentence. To her credit, Tara obliged.

Beth held her stare and then began laughing. She closed her eyes, feeling her shoulders rise and fall with every chuckle.

"Professor Dixon." She licked her lips as if tasting the sound of his name "You know what, Andrea deserves to go out with him, you know why?"

Tara quietly shook her head

"Because Andrea is a go-getter. She sees something, she goes for it. She doesn't pine, or try to will someone into liking her. She doesn't wait for those precious moments when he'll say a word or sentence to her." Beth hadn't realized her hands had formed into fists under Tara's grasp. "Andrea sure as hell doesn't stay up until the odd hours of the night baking her fifth loaf of bread, just to make sure it's good enough to share. Nope, she just goes for it."

Tara continued to stare at her friend, apparently riveted by how animated Beth was getting.

"But you know why she deserves him the most?" Tara shrugged, almost weary of what was going to come out of Beth now.

"Because she actually knows his full name" She pounded her fists dramatically "Daryl Dixon" she spoke as she leaned back, taking in a deep breath.

Both girls stared at each other for a long while not knowing what to do next. Beth looked at the clock above the desk and decided it was as good a time as any to end her day.

"I think I'm going to take a half day today." She said matter-of-factly as she walked around the counter and into the small hallway leading to her office.

"Yes, yes, I am going to take a half day. Do my 'something different' today. Leave three hours early" she spoke to herself as she picked up her belongings. She walked towards Patricia's office and knocked, opening the door when she heard Pat's annoyed "what is it?" response.

"Hi Patricia, I'm going to take off right now." She realized she was speaking louder and faster than usual, somewhat excited about the idea of leaving early when she still had so much to do. The older woman looked up at her, slowly removing her glasses. Beth stared back.

"Is everything okay Beth?" Patricia spoke slowly as she crossed her arms.

"No, not really, no." Beth looked down, once again feeling the resolve she had earlier leaving her.

"Will you make sure to make up any missed work, tomorrow?"

"Absolutely" She nodded

"Very well, see you bright and early."

At that moment, Beth could have hugged her.

**A/N: Yay…Andrea is in the story! (((Goes to hide under the tent I built after chapter 3))) We can't have a real love story without the journey, right? **

**As always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for every review/PM/favorite/follow! Every time I hear that little "ding" I start jumping up and down. And when I do that, a new idea pops out! I love you and I like you all!**

**"Blue Eyes" –Cary Brothers**

**"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" – Dusty Springfield (by the way, this is a great song to listen to when you've been dumped. Um, not that I know what that feels like…)**


	11. Shake it Off and Move On

**A/N: I own nothing TWD. If I did, I'd have the cast come to your house and bring you breakfast in bed. Then they'd encourage you to stay in bed all day while they, for once, took care of things around the house for you. **

Beth practically ran to her truck, afraid that if she didn't get out of the campus quickly she would have a break down. She needed a distraction. She wasn't ready for reality just then. She needed something shiny to distract her, something to help dull the pain that was slowly rising up her body. She shook her head a little as if to recharge her senses and reached for her phone.

"Hey Bethy" her sister answered on the fourth ring. Beth could hear her nephews screaming in the background, apparently in some sort of argument.

"Hey Maggie. I got a quick question for you. If you're feeling kind of moody and need a distraction, what would you do?" There was a long pause.

"Well, alcohol always helps."

Beth rolled her eyes "Come on, Maggie, I need your help. I'm not feeling so great right now."

She heard a loud piercing scream in the background. Maggie swore under her breath before yelling to the boys that she was on the phone.

"That enough of a distraction for you?" Beth laughed this time. She loved her sister so much.

"Shopping usually helps." Maggie continued "Buying something stupid and unnecessary. That always works for me." She heard one of the boys (Michael she was sure) start yelling again. She didn't want to take up any more of her sister's time. She was obviously busy.

"Awesome thanks, Mags. I'll call you later."

"Hey Beth, wait!" she heard her call out right as she was about to hang up.

"Are you okay? Is this one of those times I need to worry about my little sister?"

"Maggie, you always worry about me." Beth was sure she sensed her sister smile amongst the crying boys.

"I'm okay, just a little sad. I'll explain everything later, I promise."

"Okay, good. Love you, Bethy"

"Love you too Mags."

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, Beth was parked in front of a drugstore. She really wasn't in the mood to be around too many people, so she figured this place would be perfect. Plus she figured she should be proactive and buy some melatonin or something, just in case she had a hard time falling asleep later.<p>

Maggie had suggested for her to go and buy something stupid and unnecessary. The neighborhood pharmacy probably wasn't the ideal place, but Beth figured it wouldn't hurt to browse anyway. She grabbed a basket and started walking aimlessly around the store. Beth walked between aisles of early holiday decorations _Independence Day is three months away after all_ and random lawn furniture. She had a nice little patio area at her apartment, maybe she could get a potted plant or something. She turned the corner and walked into the candy aisle. _Candy is always, always, always, a good choice _she thought as she grabbed two packs of assorted Hershey chocolates. Beth took her time looking at all the items lined across the shelves before she reached the vitamin section and dropped a large bottle of melatonin in her basket. She started heading towards the registers when she came across the beauty department and slowed down.

Beth had a love-hate relationship with makeup. On the one hand, she enjoyed the confidence it gave her when she wore it, yet that confidence often led to nervousness about being noticed by other people. She walked tentatively down the aisle looking at all the shades of lipstick in front of her. She really wished Maggie or Tara were there with her, they were great at this sort of thing. She stared at the colors some more and figured it wouldn't hurt to pick up a new shade, just to try it out. She'd secretly liked red lipstick, and Tara swore up and down that she would be able to pull it off. Beth looked at the selection and scowled, not realizing that red came in so many shades. She picked up one that seemed a little too bright and put it next to her face.

"That shade would look really good on you!" Beth dropped the lipstick as the unfamiliar voice spoke.

"Oh, I scared you, I'm so sorry." The young woman came up to Beth and picked up the lipstick she had dropped. Beth laughed as she reached for it. "No, I'm just a bundle of nerves right now, please don't apologize." Beth put the cap back on the lipstick and put it back on the shelf.

"Oh no, don't put it back. I meant it. With your fair complexion, that color would look really good on you" the woman reached for the lipstick again and handed it to her. "Really, try it on!" she encouraged as Beth took it back. She was so moved by the woman's enthusiasm that she obliged, first smearing the color on her index finger before applying it to her lips.

"Huh. You're right. It doesn't look bad." She said as she looked at the small mirror placed on the shelf for that very purpose. She turned to the woman and smiled "Thanks."

The woman smiled back and nodded. She looked at Beth for a short while before speaking again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare, but you look really familiar."

Beth laughed, nodding back to her. She got that a lot. Working at the library had that effect on people.

"Are you a student at the college?" Beth asked in return, watching as familiarity dawned on the woman who had started nodding enthusiastically.

"That's probably where you know me from. I work at the library. If you've ever been in there, you've likely seen me."

"Yes, that's where I know you from! You helped my boyfriend with his thesis last semester. You were so patient with him, I was about ready to ring his neck!" Beth laughed. That sounded about right. Thesis time was very stressful for the students, so oftentimes she saw the best of the frazzled.

"I'm sure he was fine. I'm Beth by the way." She extended her hand to the woman who took it immediately. "Hi Beth, nice to meet you. I'm Sasha."

* * *

><p>During their brief conversation in the drugstore, both Beth and Sasha decided it would be a good idea to grab some coffee. Sasha had to study for a mid-term and needed the energy boost, whereas Beth didn't want to be alone with her thoughts (though she didn't mention that part to Sasha). Both women fell into easy conversation, something that was usually difficult for Beth.<p>

"So what classes do you take at the school?" Beth asked after a good half hour of getting to know each other. "I'm a psych major, mostly in the child development department." Beth put her drink down slowly and looked at her new friend. "Did you know Carol?" Beth asked quietly, feeling her heart speed a bit.

Sasha looked down at her mug "Professor Peletier? Yes, I knew her." She began absentmindedly tracing the rim of her mug. "She taught a lot of my classes, and was kind of my mentor."

Both women were silent for a few seconds, letting thoughts of Carol fill their mind. "Did you take classes from her too?"

Beth shook her head "No. I met her, unsurprisingly, at the library." Beth chuckled softly. "She came in to get a book mended and we kinda became friends after that."

Sasha took a deep breath and began playing with the stirring stick in her coffee. "She was pretty great, wasn't she?" Beth smiled and nodded in agreement. "She really was."

"I can't believe it was something as stupid as the flu that…"Sasha shook her head and took a big gulp of her coffee rather than finish the sentence.

"I know" Beth crossed her arms and placed both elbows on the small table in front of her, looking past Sasha at a random tree in the background.

"Some of the professors in my department say it was because of Sophia. They said she just never recovered from that loss. It weakened her heart and made it difficult for her to fight the illness."

"I mean," Sasha continued "that's just tragic, losing a daughter. I can't imagine that sort of loss. I'd fucking lose it if something happened to my brother."

"Do you know how it happened? Sophia I mean?" Beth didn't know if it was okay to ask that question, but felt comfortable around Sasha to ask it anyway.

"I don't. It never seemed right to ask, you know?" Beth gave her a sad smile in agreement. Sasha looked at her watch "Oh, shit, I have to go. I was supposed to meet Bob fifteen minutes ago. I totally lost track of time." She quickly got up and packed her belongings in her bag. "It was really great to meet you Beth."

"You too. And you know, I'm always at the library. It's starting to wind down just a bit, so if you ever want to hang out again…"

"That would be great Beth, I'd like that!" She quickly scribbled her number on a napkin, making Beth promise to call her if she ever needed help buying new lipstick. Beth laughed and promised she would.

* * *

><p>Once Beth got back inside her truck she called her sister, knowing she would be worried sick about her. Maggie insisted on her coming over, regardless of it being a school and work night for the boys. Once she got in, the boys came running up to her, reminding Beth that there was nothing that would cheer her up more than those kids running to greet her.<p>

"Okay, spill it!" Maggie handed Beth a glass of wine before she stepped inside the door. "Wow, Maggie, an actual wine glass? No plastic super hero cups today?"

Maggie shook her head as she took a sip from her own. "Nope, this is going to be a serious conversation I take it, and that deserves serious attention." Beth walked into the kitchen as Glenn was setting the boys up with a movie. She had a seat at the table, and proceeded to bend forward and place her cheek on the table. Maggie walked behind her, lightly squeezing her neck as she walked by. She sat next to her sister just as Glenn walked in. "Is this a sister's only thing? Because I sort of get nervous whenever Maggie brings out the good glassware." Beth laughed as she felt the wood scratching her lightly under her skin.

"It is a sister's thing, but don't think for a second that means you aren't included." She answered while watching him from her awkward position at the table. Glen smiled at her and patted her head as he went to grab a beer from the fridge.

"What's going on Beth?" her sister looked down at her, tone gentle and worrisome.

"In the big scope of things nothing really." She rolled her head slightly so that her forehead was now pressing down on the table.

"Today during lunch I found out that Daryl is seeing Andrea" at that moment, Beth realized how something that could be summed up in one sentence still had enough of an impact to make her feel sick to her stomach.

"Who's Andrea?" Glenn was looking at Maggie when he asked. Maggie shrugged, unsure as to what the answer was.

"Andrea is Amy's sister." Beth answered as she rolled her head back to face the direction of her sister and brother-in-law. Recognition dawned on Maggie as she took in what Beth was saying.

"Who's Amy?" Glenn still looked confused.

"Amy is Tara's girlfriend, dad." Michael had somehow snuck into the kitchen and was looking at his father with a look of disappointment.

"Hey, get back out there boy" Maggie stood and led Muck out of the kitchen.

"It's nice to know not all the Rhee boys are entirely clueless." Beth chuckled as she slowly raised her head to face Glenn. He was watching her closely, obviously working on how to say what he wanted to.

"I know it shouldn't upset me, but it does. I liked him. I was hoping it would have been me." As she said those words out loud, she dropped her head back onto the table, fighting the urge to cry. _God I'm pathetic._

"Beth, you didn't want it to be you." Glenn said after a minute.

"Are you sure? 'Cause right now her life is looking pretty good compared to mine." She lifted her head again and downed the last of her wine.

"Nah, it isn't like that." He went around and sat next to her and looked her square in the eyes. "Andrea, she's a band aid. She's a pain killer. He's probably still hurting from Carol and needs a distraction, something that will take the pain away." He put his hand on hers.

"He doesn't want a cure from the hurt, he just wants to dull it."

He smiled at her and patted her hand "You don't want to be pain killer, Beth. No happy endings ever come from them. No good story develops from something that begins that way."

She smiled as she looked at him. She felt her eyes moisten and slowly nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>The following day, Beth sat in her little office as the Black Keys played from her computer. She thought for a long time about what Glenn had told her. He was right. She didn't want to be a distraction for Daryl. If that was what he needed right now, Beth was damn happy that it wasn't her. She wouldn't have been able to handle it. She was no pain killer.<p>

She knew this, all she had to do now was believe it.

Beth looked around her little office. Besides the pictures in her frames that she had updated from time to time, everything else was exactly as she had organized it years ago. This angered her.

_Well Greene, you wanted a push. You've been pushed. _

_You aren't a band aid. You're a bad ass. And bad assess just shake it off and move on. _

_So move on._

She quickly got up from her seat and walked out towards the hallway. She found Tara a few feet away in deep conversation with Olga.

"Tara I have a question for you" Beth interrupted, not caring in the least what the two women had been discussing.

"What's up?" Tara looked concern.

"How do I look?" Beth was almost timid as she asked it.

Tara balked. That was clearly not what she was expecting.

"Uh, you look fine Beth" Tara answered, still taken aback by her question

"No really, Tara. How do I look?" Beth gestured at her outfit, trying to emphasize what she was trying to ask.

Tara gave Beth a once-over and took a step forward.

"Take off the cardigan." Beth quickly took it off, making her strapless floral dress more revealing now that she didn't have her cover. "And um, take your hair down." Beth quickly undid her side ponytail and fanned her hair over her shoulders. Tara smiled and turned to Olga "You look beautiful Beth" Olga smiled and nodded in approval.

"Thanks fogie. I'll be right back" Beth walked back to her office, placing the blue cardigan over her chair before she turned to leave again. As she was about to walk out, she saw her reflection on the large silver frame hanging by her door. She quickly French braided her hair again, just at the crown of her head, tying it loosely and a bit sloppily over her left shoulder. She loved braids, and thought that particular style looked good on her. She turned and put her cardigan back on. She loved cardigans, and this one was cute and form fitting, hugging her small curves and giving her a look of sophistication. She squared back her shoulders and looked at the reflection once more. If she was going to give herself a push, she was still going to be Beth when she did it. Just for fun, she took out the red lipstick Sasha had helped her pick and applied it to her lips.

A few minutes later, Beth was walking out her office again, feeling a little more scared, but a lot more confident than she had been for a long time.

"Ah, there she is! That's it!" Tara called out to her as she was about to step outside. Beth turned and looked at her friend. "Baby-girl, now you look stunning."

* * *

><p>She had never been to that part of campus, never had a reason to. She knew how to find it though; she knew every inch of this school. All the librarians were tasked with giving tours of the campus whenever requested. For whatever reason, students always seemed to go to the library whenever they got lost, so Beth made an effort to learn every nook and cranny of the Georgian school. Now here she was, a place she had always directed lost students to, but never actually had a reason to come.<p>

Not that she had a reason now, but what the hell. What did she have to lose?

"Can I help you?" the female behind the desk asked as she walked in.

_Great, what now?_

"Yeah I, uh, lost something?" Beth realized she sounded completely confused, but she hadn't exactly planned this out. Rebels didn't plan things, right?

"Okay, you'll have to fill out a Lost Property Report" the girl reached down underneath her and handed a form over to Beth, forcing her to walk in further into the office. As Beth pretended to look over the document she sensed another person walk up in front of her.

"Its okay Rosita, I got this" Beth smiled as she continued reading the form. She had to fight the urge to giggle as she looked up, pushing her hair behind her ears.

Mr. Shane Walsh was staring back at her with that familiar grin on his face.

_So this is what it looks like when a guy is interested in you?_

Beth quickly looked down at her form again, writing her name and number on the corresponding lines.

She still sensed him looking at her. Surprisingly, she didn't feel herself blush.

Rosita walked away leaving Beth and Shane alone in the campus security lobby. "How may I help you" he leaned his head close to Beth's in order to read the name she had just written "Miss Beth Greene?"

"Well" Beth stalled. She still had no clue what she was doing. She started to chuckle out of nerves, though it appeared to make her more endearing to Shane. He continued watching her, an amused smile plastered on his face.

"I seem to have misplaced" Beth scanned the room, searching for a prompt to help her figure this out before her eyes locked on the clock above his shoulder.

"I seemed to have misplaced my lunch" She finished, a proud look on her face.

_Bad. Ass._

Shane chuckled as he leaned further on the counter. "Okay then, Ms. Greene. Let's go out there and help you find it."

**A/N:** **Just a couple of things before you all start to tar and feather me (or worse, un-follow the story!) One, the next chapter will be up really, really soon, so you won't have to wait as long as you did last time (sorry for that, I was catching up on life. And by life, I meant sleep). Second, I predict this will be the last chapter in which you all throw your hands up in the air and curse me for making you all wait for the Bethly to begin. Good things are happening, friends, I pinky swear. And they will happen sooner than you think….but still not so soon that I am cheating the spirit of the story. I am a 100% Bethlyer, and I will drown happily on this ship. This story WILL reflect that. **

**By the way…how AMAZING was the season premier?! I have seen it three times thus far, but I bet a lot of you have got me beat ;)**


	12. Little Bethy is Growing Up

**A/N: I own nothing belonging to, or in association with The Walking Dead. IFFFFFFFF I did, I would have the cast surprise you with a nice relaxing bubble bath, to help relieve the stress you no doubt had that day**

Beth closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

_Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Breathe._

She let it out in one long exhale. She opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings. Not including the theater, the small pond by the library was her favorite place to sit between breaks. A family of ducks had decided to make those ponds their home and Beth enjoyed coming out and feeding them when she was able to. The past week and a half had been very adventurous for her, so she decided to take a page out of Patricia's book and try some meditation.

She closed her eyes again and took another breath. _Six, five, four, three, two, one. Breathe._

She had absolutely enjoyed her time with Shane the previous week and she suspected he had as well. Glenn and Maggie assured her that the calls and messages he had been sending her were definitely a good indicator that he was a little smitten with her.

Shane had surprised her earlier that day by stopping at the library and taking her out to AJs, promising that in no time he would take her out on a proper date. It wasn't because he didn't want to, he had other responsibilities.

Whomever Amy had spoken to about Shane had given her the wrong information. No, he did not own a dog, but he did have an infant daughter whom he had sole custody of. Baby Judith kept him busy on nights and weekends, so their dates had been during the day time. He absolutely beamed when he spoke of his daughter, which made him more attractive to her.

As they parted ways, he gently pulled her towards him and placed a chaste kiss next to her lips. She felt the air leave her body, having realized that was the first time, in a very long time, that she had felt a man's lips on her.

She had no idea how to process this.

_Five, four, three, two, one. Breathe._

She was still too jittery to return to the office, so she made a detour to one of the benches that oversaw the pond. A couple of ducks had quickly approached her, conditioned to approach any adult who sat close by.

"Hello ducks. No bread today." She could have sworn they looked irritated at her.

"Sorry friends, I'm a little busy trying to figure myself out right now, I can't bother with you today." They didn't seem to sympathize.

Beth put her hand by her lips where Shane had kissed her. It was sweet and what she needed. She sighed and closed her eyes again. She didn't want to think it….wasn't going to think it…had been doing a good job not thinking it…

_I wish it had been Daryl_

"Ugh! No!" she yelled, scaring the ducks away. Her moment of Zen was leaving. She needed to bring it back.

_Stop the thought…think happy thoughts._

Shane placing his hand on her lower back as he led her to a booth at AJs.

Shane talking about Judith

The kiss.

_Four, three, two, one. Breathe_

Another positive change was her potential new friendship with Sasha. She had called Beth the previous day asking if she wanted to join her and Bob at the new sushi restaurant that had opened a few blocks away. Beth brought Tara with her, and all four of them got along wonderfully. It was nice to be surrounded with good people and simply enjoying each other's company.

_Three, two, one. Breathe._

As she slowly got up and headed towards the library she tried to remember the last time she'd had lunch at the theater. She hadn't been avoiding it intentionally; it just ended up that way. Between spending time with Shane and getting to know Sasha, as well as the recent peak in student activity at the library that kept her working through her lunch, Beth hadn't been able to make it out there.

She knew the theater would be waiting for her when things calmed down.

Now, whether a certain man would still be there when she made her way back, well, that was completely out of her control. She'd just have to wait and see.

_Breathe._

* * *

><p>The rest of that week had not slowed down in the least. The thesis rush was greater than usual, making Beth stay at the library past seven the last few nights. She usually didn't mind having to work late, but now she had something of a life starting. She didn't want to waste it working.<p>

Her phone buzzed alerting her of a new message. She smiled knowing immediately who it was as she reached for it and looked at the screen.

_I think it's time for your break. You should come out here and keep me company._

Beth scoffed at her phone, trying to figure out what to type in response. Before she had a chance to, it buzzed in her hand again.

_Please? I'm out of my mind bored._

"Ha!" she exclaimed as she began typing.

"You sure know how to make a girl feel special, Shane. Tell me about being bored again?" she spoke out loud as she typed.

If he wanted her company, he was going to have to work for it.

The phone rang immediately after she sent the message causing Beth to laugh out loud. Tara came into her office and sat quietly in front of her desk, resting her elbows on the desk "I hear you laughing in here, what's going on?" she asked sternly, leaning forward with her face resting on her hands.

Beth held up one finger as she answered her phone.

"Yes hello?" She answered sweetly as she grinned at her friend, cluing Tara in as to who was on the receiving end of the line.

"Hello, Beth this is Shane. I just wanted to call and let you know that I've been thinking about you all morning." She covered her face with her free hand, causing Tara to grin widely at her.

"Go on" Beth encouraged him, leaning forward towards Tara. Tara rolled her eyes, but didn't stop smiling back at her friend.

"I was wondering if you would be so kind as to grace me with your company. The office is quiet right now, so I believe we would be able to have some great conversations."

Beth brought her hand down from her face and tried to play it cool.

"See, was that so hard?" she argued and was rewarded with a chuckle. Beth looked at the clock and groaned when she realized it was barely 10:30. "I'd love to come out. Let me see if I can sneak out of here."

"That would be fantastic. Hope to see you in a few, gorgeous." Beth squeezed her eyes shut at the term of endearment. It always embarrassed her when he said it, mostly because she knew he meant it.

"So that's what, three days this week that you've hung out with him during lunch?" Tara teased as soon as Beth hung up. "Plus the two days last week? It's getting serious isn't it baby girl?"

"Absolutely" Beth teased in return "I think he might be ready to propose."

"Oh, ha ha!" Tara took hold of Beth's hand and gave it a quick squeeze "Good for you friend, it's about time you got your groove back. Just don't forget, you promised to have lunch with Amy and me this week. Don't flake on us now that you've got yourself a beau!"

"Of course not Tara, don't be absurd" she swatted at her friend

Beth scanned her desk and winced when she saw the pile of order forms and requests that had accumulated that week. She really didn't have the luxury of taking an extra-long lunch break, but she wanted to see Shane. She couldn't help it.

Beth stood from her seat and absentmindedly straightened her skirt as she walked toward the door. "So what kind of mood is Patricia in? I'm going to see if she'll let me take off for a couple of hours."

Tara was still sitting in the chair at Beth's desk. She stretched her arms wide above her and let out a long yawn. "Hell if I know. Pat's gone for the day." She looked at Beth and extended her arm towards her, fingers curled in a fist. Beth grinned wide and reciprocated the gesture, giving her friend a fist bump.

* * *

><p>Beth really didn't get a chance to hang out with Shane for too long. After a half hour, he received a phone call from the sheriff's department letting him know that one of the officers was on his way to talk to him.<p>

"Should I be worried that a sheriff is coming to talk to you?" Beth joked when Shane got off the phone. He looked at her with a serious, yet humorous, expression. "No. Those bastards can't prove anything until they find the body."

Beth groaned at his joke causing him to laugh. "Nah, its all part of the job. Liaison with the sheriff and all." He gestured at his office as he said it. "We're just making sure this campus remains safe for all you lovely people" he winked, causing the now-familiar butterflies in her stomach to dance.

"Well then, I won't keep you. I should head back anyway. Those books wont order themselves." He stood up and led her towards the exit. Right as he opened the door for her, he gently grabbed her arm causing her to turn around and face him "So what do you think about dinner tomorrow night?"

Beth almost told him no.

_Friday nights are family night with Maggie and the boys. I can't change things. _

"I'd like that" Beth answered quietly, hoping her initial doubt hadn't registered.

Maggie would kill her if she turned down a first date to hang out with her.

Shane smiled as he stepped to the side to let her out. "I'll call you later" he promised as she walked past him. She stopped right outside the door and turned to him again. Quickly, she leaned towards him, got on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips before stepping back. As his lips began to form a smile, Beth winked at him and turned back, walking outside to a greeting sun.

* * *

><p><em>What the hell was that?<em>

Beth found herself by the pond again, reflecting back on the last 15 minutes. _Did I just initiate a kiss?_ Granted, it was quick and completely chaste. It probably didn't actually register as a kiss if she really thought about it, but still. She had done it.

_Did I also wink? _S_ince when do I wink?_

She scoffed and shook her head.

Ever since she took the initiative to go find Shane, she'd find herself having similar moments of disbelief. These moments were never out of embarrassment or shame or regret. They were more out of wonder. She had no idea she had it in herself to behave in that matter. Confident. Assertive. Feisty almost.

And it didn't suck.

"Huh. Little Bethy is growing up" she whispered to herself.

"Well if I didn't know any better, I'd say I was stalking you." Beth began smiling as she recognized the voice speaking to her. She looked up and saw a familiar face smiling back.

"Hello Michonne. How great to see you again." Beth stood up and walked towards Michonne, who was currently pushing Candace in her stroller.

"I guess I shouldn't respond like this if you were actually stalking me, right?" Beth sheepishly added as the older woman laughed and shook her head. "Probably not."

Michonne walked around and took Candace out of her stroller and went to sit on the bench Beth had just vacated. "This is my favorite spot at the school" she said as she placed Candace on her lap facing the pond.

"It is beautiful" Beth agreed as she sat down next to her. "You come here a lot?"

"No, I wouldn't say a lot, but often. Rick, my husband, collaborates with the head of campus security here so sometimes we come out to join him."

"Rick works with Shane Walsh?" Beth was surprised by the connection.

_ Really, this is such as small town._

Michonne looked at Beth and smiled as she nodded her head. Beth noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I take it you know Shane?" She asked cautiously. Beth nodded and started playing with Cadie's hand "Yeah, I know him." She felt her face go slightly red as she continued doting on the baby, who had somehow made it onto Beth's lap. The women remained silent for a second as they watched her.

"So Beth, are you a student here?"

"No, I work at the library. Been here ten years now."

"Wow, ten years? You must love it."

"I do actually. I started as a Literature Major when I first enrolled here. I began working at the library during my freshman year to help pay for tuition and found that I really enjoyed it. After I graduated, I enrolled at Valdosta State for my master's in Library Sciences and I've been here ever since."

"How great it is to find something you love and succeed in it" Michonne was watching her daughter during the conversation, who cooed at her mother as she bounced on Beth's lap with glee.

"Carl is starting college this fall. I think Rick is relieved he's coming here. He'll be able to keep his eye on him. Or at the least guilt Shane into keeping him in line."

Beth looked at Michonne wondering what she had meant by that. She was about to ask when Cadie started bouncing even quicker, squealing in delight as she saw her father and brother walking towards them.

Both women stood up, Beth still holding on to Candace. "Hey there doll, did you miss your pa?" Rick came straight to Beth and pulled the baby from her arms.

"Carl, you remember Beth right?" Michonne laughed as she placed her arm around his shoulder.

"Yeah, hey Beth." He managed to mumble out, face turning red and not looking at Beth.

"Rick, remember that time I told you about Carl flirting with a girl outside your station? Meet Beth." She grinned wider, pulling Carl closer into an embrace.

Rick started chucking as he turned to Beth, a wide happy smile that any woman would be lucky to be on the receiving end of.

"Is that right? Well hello Miss Beth, it's damn nice to meet you" he let out in a slow southern drawl, extending his right arm as he balanced Candace on his left.

After shaking his hand, Beth turned to look at Carl who looked completely mortified in his step-mother's arms. She couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. She knew what it was like to be in an uncomfortable situation more than anyone else.

"Hey Carl, I never got a chance to thank you for that. I was having a really cruddy morning that day, and your sweet words made me smile. It's nice when a girl gets some attention from a cutie like yourself." She lightly swatted his arm at the last word, and was rewarded with a big smile. She caught Michonne and Rick look at each other for a second, clearly amused by the whole exchange.

"Well, we should probably start heading back now" Michonne said as she reached for Candace who was not thrilled to be leaving her daddy's arms.

"Thanks so much for the distraction, I love any excuse to be out here" Beth smiled as she reached for Candace's foot and gave it a quick squeeze.

"Carl, I hoped you enjoyed the five cent tour, that's all your getting for now considering how much I'm paying for the actual education" Rick patted his son on the back as Michonne placed Candace back in her stroller.

"You'll love this school, Carl. It really is one of the best in the area." Beth smiled at him as she pulled her purse strap over her shoulder. "And if you ever want a proper tour, let me know. Showing off this campus is one of the perks of being a librarian."

"That is very kind of you, Beth. We will definitely take you up on that offer" Rick responded in all sincerity.

"Yeah, thanks Beth. When can you give me the tour?" Carl exclaimed, getting a little more excited than necessary.

"Easy there Carl." Rick half whispered to his son as Michonne laughed and shook her head.

Beth turned to look at the library. It was such a beautiful day, and the thought of going back in was not appealing at the moment.

_Technically, I would be working_ she justified to herself before turning to the family again.

"How about right now?"

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Beth was finally ready to stop task avoiding and got back to work. The minuscule amount of guilt she felt at being out of the library for so long quickly dissipated when she realized half the library staff was already gone. Tara had only stayed because she wanted to know how it had gone with Shane. She was quickly disappointed to find out that Beth had more to say about the Grimes' family then of Mr. Shane Walsh.<p>

"Ugh, even when you're in relationship you're a total square" she grunted as she walked back to the front lobby.

Beth laughed. She knew she was a square…but she was a quickly becoming a prism square. The kind of square that had dimensions and popped out at you when least expected.

"Oh god!" she laughed at herself. Here was another example of the strange new thoughts forming in her head. As she continued to scold and amuse herself, Tara returned to the office, the playful look back on her face.

"There is a very handsome gentleman who is requesting your assistance in the lobby right now." She beamed at her friend.

"Oh really?" Beth responded equally amused. "Well, I just can't seem to keep those men off of me now can I?" she laughed as she stood up to greet Shane.

"You shouldn't have to. You are totally adorable." Tara poked at Beth's shoulder as she walked further into Beth's office, clearly giving her friend some time with her new man.

Beth smiled as she walked up the front. She liked feeling confident she decided. She liked feeling wanted. It had been a very long time since she indulged in those feelings, but hey, better now than never. As she stepped into the lobby, a smile painted on her face she made eye contact with the man who never stopped giving her butterflies.

"Oh." She exclaimed as her face quickly turned to shock then embarrassment as she accidentally knocked over a pile of books. She quickly picked one up and stood again.

"Hey Daryl."

**A/N: This is the last update I'll post for the next few months. I'm taking a much needed vacation to a remote island without wifi to recover from all these Walking Dead feels.**

**Just kidding! Fear not my awesome readers, this girl here has absolutely no life (or funds) to take any sort of vacation, so you're all stuck with me for a bit. I will never-ever stop thanking my lucky stars for all you wonderful people. Every single time I get an alert about a new follower/fav/pm I fall to the ground and cry uncontrollably. This is the truth my friends! Thank you so much. I am also trying my hardest to respond to all of you, trying to send as much love as I'm receiving. To those of you who don't have the PM option on, you're missing out on some mildly inappropriate proclamations of love from me. All you others, you may be guests to my story, but not to my heart. Thanks so so much!**

**p.s. I had the week from hades at work, so I'm half asleep as I finish and send this off. I really wanted to publish it, so I didn't use my fine tooth pick to edit it like I usually do. My apologies for any big mistakes or gaps. **


	13. Happy To Be Back

**I do not own anything TWD. If I did, I would have the cast sneak by your house at night, throwing pebbles at your window, and asking you to join them for walk in the moonlight.**

She stared at Daryl for a few seconds, attempting to process the sight in front of her. It occurred to her at that moment that this was the first time she had seen him outside the theater, and it seemed wrong somehow. Like a daydream come to life.

"Do you need help with those?" he gestured at the books that Beth accidently knocked down seconds before.

"No," she furiously shook her head "I, uh, meant to drop them on the floor at some point today. I guess I got ahead of myself" she smiled at him, wishing there was some force that could take pity and blink her out of existence.

He laughed at her attempt of a joke, and try as she might, she couldn't fight the urge to laugh back.

_We're both nervous._ She realized when they both stopped and made fleeting eye contact with each other.

She was flustered for a second but then realized she had the upper hand there. He was on her turf now, she could dictate how this went.

"Can I help you with something, Professor Dixon?" she asked in a mock authoritative voice. He brought both of his hands together and started squeezing them before releasing and then biting the pad of his thumb.

_Is he more nervous than I am right now?_

He cleared his voice before speaking. "Nah, I was just passing by. Thought I should stop and say hello." He kept looking at the counter in front of him, picking up a pen and tapping it on the counter. _Carol use to do that_ she remembered fondly as she watched.

She furrowed her brow before looking up at him again "Wait, you were passing by? Isn't the science department on the other side of campus?" Beth was genuinely confused. Daryl stopped playing with the pen but kept his eyes down.

"I wanted to see if you were okay." He finally responded as he slowly placed the pen back in its holder.

"If I was okay?" she repeated, curiosity echoed in the words she spoke.

_Why would he come to see if I was okay?_

"You haven't been at lunch" he finally looked at her, seemingly able to read her thoughts. "I wanted to see if you were okay."

She stared at him, trying to figure out how to respond. She felt the nervous giggles creeping up, and was proud of herself for keeping them at bay. She knew she should say something, anything, in response, yet just couldn't figure out what.

_Just keep it simple, Greene._

"I'm okay." She smiled at him, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"The library has been really busy" she continued "end of the school year and all." She shrugged almost apologetically. The butterflies were gone and her heart had returned to normal speed. She now felt a sense of calm, a familiarity being near him.

He nodded and led out a short breath, almost as if relieved by her words.

"Right," he took a step back, looking around the room.

"So, uh," he turned to look at her again, blue eyes hooded "is the library winding down at all?"

Beth looked down at the stack of returned books piled on the counter. She turned to her right and saw that all the computers which lined the walls were occupied with students as other students stood by waiting for an on open spot. She looked to the left just as a handful of students came up to bulletin board to sign up for thesis assistance. A third student walked up to the counter and picked up several Requests for Book Retrieval applications.

"Actually," she looked back at Daryl "yes." She smiled wide, "It is slowing down a bit."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, absentmindedly reaching for the bag he had placed on the floor.

Beth pressed her lips together in a tight smile as she nodded, reaching towards the pencil holder, picking up the pen he had put down.

"Alright" he turned around and walked towards the exit then stopped. He turned towards her "I'm glad you're okay" He gave her a half smile before walking out.

* * *

><p>Her first instinct was to call Maggie and fill her in on the craziness that just took place. Her second instinct was to run back to Tara and get her input on things. Her third instinct was to run to the bathroom, stare at herself in the mirror, and replay the conversation over and over again.<p>

She decided against all of these options.

She was making healthy and positive strides in her road towards self-awareness. She was not going to slip back to previous ways and over analyze every part of the interaction. She would not perseverate on the fact that he came out of his way to find her because he was worried. How he managed to ask her to come back to lunch with him the next day. Or especially how both were able to see past each other's bull-crap and communicate what they really wanted from the other.

She groaned to herself and lightly pounded her fist against her forehead.

_You're still you, Beth_

With a sigh she decided to compromise. She would only give herself the amount of time it took for her to get back to her office to obsess over this encounter before she dropped it and went along with her day. Once she was sitting back at her desk, she would let it go.

She found Tara waiting for her in her office. Quietly, Beth walked around and sat at her seat, shaking the computer mouse to awaken the monitor.

"I take it that was Professor Dixon?" Tara asked

"I prefer to call him Daryl. But yes, that was him" Beth typed in her login and password, not bothering to look up at her friend.

"You're not gonna say anything about what just happened?" there was a gleam of mischief in Tara's eyes. Tara knew that it affected Beth more than she was letting on.

"There really isn't anything to say" Beth clicked on her email, hoping there was something there to distract her.

1_4 unread messages. Yep, that'll do it._

"Beth?" Tara now looked worried.

Beth sighed. "He was just checking up on me." With that simple sentence, the butterflies returned.

She felt herself blush, but continued with her work.

* * *

><p>When Beth was nervous, she baked. A habit she had inherited from her mother, much to the delight of her siblings. It was her way of having control over situations that were completely out of her own. When Beth arrived home that Thursday evening, she quickly got her flours and spices out and got to work. Tomorrow was going to be interesting. Lunch with Daryl, dinner with Shane. In a small part of her brain she knew she should have felt something. Guilt? Shame maybe? The fact that she didn't feel anything of the sorts didn't bother her. Maybe that was part of her evolving.<p>

She looked at the supplies in front of her as she considered what to bake. A big smile formed on her face as an idea came to her. With a chuckle, she went into her fruit basket and selected what she needed. Looking back, Beth should have realized the significance of what she had chosen, but at the moment she was too focused on the task at hand.

After all, if she was going to finish the orange zest muffins before bedtime, she had better get started.

* * *

><p>The muffins were a hit as was evident by most of them being gone minutes after Beth had placed them in the library break room. She saved one for Shane, who was currently on his way over to meet her.<p>

"Beth," Olga stuck her head inside Beth's office, a huge grin on the older woman's face. "Someone's here for you." She whispered, making Beth laugh. "I'll distract Pat, you take your time." Beth laughed even harder; they all enjoyed being sneaky right under Patricia's nose.

"Well hello there Shane" she greeted as she walked up to him.

"Hello back, gorgeous. Staying busy back there?" Shane gestured towards the back.

"Trying not to" she smiled in response.

"Well, that's good to know" he nodded in approval.

She smiled back at him and remembered the muffins "Oh hey, before I forget, I made some muffins last night. Do you like oranges?"

Shane frowned and shook his head. "No, not a big fan. But thanks."

"Okay." She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

_Ah well, shake it off._

Shane didn't appear to have noticed her change in affect as he leaned forward across the counter "I was thinking of coming to get you around 7 tonight? Nice dinner, maybe go for a walk after?"

"That sounds lovely. I look forward to it" once more, she was surprised by the fact that she hadn't blushed.

He leaned back "I thought you would. So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

She shrugged "Nothing really. I'm meeting up with a friend for lunch." She giggled a little at that as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Oh yeah? Who? Tara?"

Right at that moment Tara came up to the front completely in work mode, unaware of the pair. She was carrying a stack of books that she set down before scanning them onto the computer.

Beth shook her head. "No, someone else. He's a…newer friend" she sensed Tara perk up and look in her direction. "We usually eat at the old theatre by the drama department." She tried to say that matter-of-factly, like it wasn't a big deal. Which, to be fair, really wasn't. She had no reason to hide her friendship with Daryl from Shane. Besides, if Shane had any problem with it, he didn't show it.

"I hate that theater" Shane grunted. "It's caused me so many headaches over these past years, I sometimes wish they'd just take it down."

She heard Tara gasp as Beth dramatically put her hand to her heart. "Bite your tongue Shane Walsh, I love that theater!"

He shrugged "You wouldn't if you knew the hoodlums that gathered there on the weekends."

"Well, I was going to invite you to join me for lunch there, but now I'm not so sure" Beth was a little hurt by his declaration. That had been her little haven for the past 10 years and she felt protective of it.

"No, it's okay. I'm not a fan of eating outdoors anyway"

"It's a good thing you got Daryl" Tara called from the far side of the counter. Beth shushed her friend before turning back to Shane. He continued with his smirk, unaffected by Tara's comment.

"Thanks for the invitation, Beth." He told her in a lowered tone. "I know why you did it, but it's okay. I'm not worried." He winked at her and began walking backwards towards the exit. "I'll see you tonight" with a final wave he walked out of the library.

Beth continued staring at the door, not quite sure how to process what just happened. Luckily, she had Tara there to give her impression.

"What a cocky motherfucker" Tara gasped as she also stared at the door.

"Tara!" Beth chided her as she made her way back to her office. Tara dramatically rolled her eyes as she went back to work.

As Beth went back to her office she replayed the conversation in her head. She sighed as she sat at her desk and leaned all the way back in her seat.

_Was Shane not worried because he trusted me? Or because he thinks I would never be interested in anyone else?_

She picked up her muffin and took a big bite.

* * *

><p>She snuck out of the office early for lunch. She was on edge for whatever reason, something she rarely felt. Beth was usually easy going, but there was something that was bothering her, and she could not for the life of her put her finger on it.<p>

As she walked up the grassy field, she couldn't help but wonder how Shane could dismiss it so much. What was there to dislike? Trees, grass, flowers…like a little remote island in the middle of campus. As she turned to her usual spot, she was pleasantly surprised to find that Daryl was already there, sitting crossed legged, book in his hand.

She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she walked up to him. She also didn't want to acknowledge that the bad feelings she was feeling earlier were slowly dissipating with every step closer she took to him.

"Hey there" she smiled as she sat at her usual spot. He jumped slightly, obviously surprised by her. She laughed a little as she settled in.

"Damn girl, you sure know how to sneak up on a guy."

Beth scoffed "I did not sneak up on you. It's not my fault you were too busy with your book."

Surprising herself (again), she took the book from his hands "Let's see what you're scaring yourself with this time" she looked at the cover and read it out loud "The Hundred Year Lie: How to Protect Yourself from the Chemicals in Your Life" she looked cautiously at him.

"Why? Why do you do this to yourself?" she half joked, half pled to him. Daryl took the book from her hands.

"Because unlike some people, I don't like to live in denial" he rasped as he dog-eared the last page he had read and placed it back in his bag. He retrieved a cigarette from its pack.

"Denial huh? Tell me Professor, what does it say about smoking in that book of yours?" she winked, smiling wickedly at him as he turned to her.

He reciprocated her grin as he placed the cigarette between his lips. "Smart ass" he mumbled as he lit the end.

She didn't know what it was about him that made her feel so comfortable, to be able to joke around with him despite the fact that it'd been weeks since they had lunch together. Maybe it was because she didn't feel any pressure now that she was seeing Shane. Or maybe because she finally accepted that Daryl wasn't interested romantically in her. Maybe it was her newfound confidence.

What she did know was that she enjoyed spending time with him, and it appeared he felt the same about her.

"Would you like to try an orange muffin?" She asked, smiling shyly at him.

"Did you make it?" He looked back, giving her the same half smile he had given her the day before.

She nodded and looked out across the theater. "From scratch actually"

Daryl followed her gaze as he took a long drag.

"Well then hell yeah." They turned to each other and smiled.

Beth knew one more thing. She was happy to be back.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm sorry for my nasty joke last time. It was my way of passive aggressively targeting all those mean writers who write amazing stories and then make us wait months and months for an update. I love them, but hate them for playing with my emotions like that!**

**Thank you thank you thank you again and again for each review/pm/fav/follow. I get the same reaction I did when I first posted…it is so my driving force to keep writing! Oh, and I included another super subtle Doctor Who reference. Because I'm a dork and am slightly mad with power.**

**So Beth is starting to re-think the whole Shane thing now. That'll be fun! Also, I don't know about you all, but I think it's time for Daryl and Beth to spend some quality time together outside of campus. **

**Yeah, I think that should happen. I think that should happen soon…**

**-Mir**


	14. Thank You

**I own nothing The Walking Dead. If I did, I'd have the cast take you out to a lake, and find that perfect skipping rock for you to throw across the water (sorry friends, I'm tired and couldn't think of anything clever this time)**

"So, tell me everything…absolutely everything." Maggie was bobbing her head with a little too much enthusiasm. Beth rolled her eyes and attempted to ease off on the annoyance. This was Beth's first date in a really long time; Maggie was allowed to be inquisitive. Sasha giggled as she sat on Beth's other side. Beth had warned her friend about this, yet somehow that hadn't deterred her from coming.

As luck would have it (and because this _really_ was a small town), Sasha happened to be the younger sister of Tyreese Williams, one of the managing distributors that Glenn worked closely with. Glenn and Tyreese got along great together, so when the connection was made, Maggie jumped at the chance of expanding their social group.

Which brought them all together, Bob included, to this warm Saturday afternoon, the women relaxing in the backyard on old plastic folding-chairs, while the men stood around the BBQ.

"You're still not saying anything, Bethy." Her sister warned, glaring as she spoke.

"It was nice" Beth responded as she watched Chuck and Muck running through the sprinklers. _Maybe if I go join them, I won't have to talk to her_

She turned to look at Maggie who was still glaring. Beth groaned and took a sip from her tea.

"I know what'll make her talk." Sasha reached over and switched Beth's tea with her own.

"No, Sasha, ew!" Beth reached for her drink, but Sasha slapped her hand away.

"It's just ice tea with a little bit of rum. Drink it up and talk!" Sasha gestured towards Bob to bring her another one.

Beth tentatively took a sip, and was surprised to find she liked it. She shrugged and drank some more.

"We had a great time, he was a total gentleman, planned a lovely evening. It was nice."

Maggie rolled her eyes and let her head fall back on her seat. Sasha wasn't ready to give up yet however.

"Okay let's try this, 20 questions, lightning round. Answer these and we'll stop bugging you"

Maggie perked up and smiled as she swung her legs and sat up in Beth's direction. She placed her elbows on her thighs and leaned towards her sister. "Yes, great idea Sasha. Wait, we'll need Glenn for this."

Maggie called for Glenn who quickly came to sit next to Maggie. He was just as curious as Maggie was and therefore happy to play.

"Me first, I'll start with an easy one" Sasha smiled as she got the game rolling.

"Where did you go for dinner?"

"We went to Angelo's" Beth took another sip.

"Did he kiss you goodnight?" Maggie eye's sparkled.

"Pass."

"Did he do gentlemen-y things, like open doors for you and pull out your chair?" Sasha smiled.

"Yeah, he did."

"Did he kiss you goodnight?" Now it was Glenn's turn to smirk

"Pass." Beth gave him a dirty look as she started to feel the effects of the rum.

"Did you go anywhere else afterwards?" Sasha continued.

"Yes, we took a stroll down the neighborhood and looked at all the Fourth of July decorations."

"Did he hold your hand?"

"Yes, Maggie, he held my hand the entire time we walked."

"Did you make plans to see him again?" Glenn asked.

"Tentative plans for another night. I see him a lot at the campus anyway" She clarified as she saw the look of disapproval from Glenn's face.

"Bethy," Maggie's stern look was back. "Did he give you a kiss goodnight?" she tilted her head as she asked the question, as if that would make Beth more willing to answer. It worked.

"God, Maggie, yes! He gave me a kiss goodnight." Beth gulped the last of her tea before setting it down dramatically. "You happy?"

"No, not quite. How was it?"

"That's my cue" Glenn stood up and walked back to Bob and Tyreese.

Sasha leaned closer and nudged her friend's arms, "Yeah, Beth. How was it?" she smiled. Beth closed her eyes and tried to think of how to describe it.

"It was...aggressive."

"What!" The look of humor quickly left her sister's face. Beth turned to Sasha who looked taken aback as well.

"No, that came out wrong." Back tried to back pedal, trying to figure out a better adjective. "The kiss was unexpected?"

Without meaning to, Beth began laughing. "I'm totally saying this wrong!" she said between breaths. Maggie and Sasha looked at one another before focusing back to Beth.

"How about you start over?" Sasha said as she handed back Beth's ice tea.

"I wasn't expecting it." Beth attempted again "He was dropping me off at my apartment. As I looked down to grab my keys he kind of just pulled me towards him and initiated a kiss. It was invasive, not how I would have thought a first kiss would be. It didn't suck." Beth was pulling at her shirt as she spoke. She was always uncomfortable talking about that sort of thing, but these were the things she was supposed to talk about with the women in her life.

She looked up to see Maggie who looked a little worried. "I wasn't going to let him have the last move, though. Right before I stepped into my apartment, I gave him a little peck on the cheek. I can initiate a kiss too."

It was silly really. She had been slightly shaken by Shane's kiss. In an effort to balance it out, and give herself a less stressful memory, she left him with the chaste kiss. He smiled as he placed his hand on his cheek, making Beth wonder if he had ever received one before.

Maggie seemed to have calmed down a bit as Beth continued drinking her rum-free ice tea.

"Do I need to worry about you baby sister?"

Beth looked at her sister before turning her attention to her nephews.

"No, you don't." she said as she stood up. "Don't worry Maggie. I've got this." She smiled as she ran to the boys, feeling the cool water sprinkle at her bare feet.

* * *

><p>Sunday morning, Beth woke up with a bit of a headache, but a cold glass of water and a banana quickly fixed her up. As she put on some loose capris and a red tank top, she processed her previous conversation with Maggie and Sasha. Having said those things out loud made her more aware of the doubts she had been feeling during the past week in regards to Shane. Then again, she was relatively new with relationships, so she didn't know how valid her concerns should be.<p>

Beth had been a late bloomer when it game to romance. Jimmy was her first real boyfriend, someone she had started dating during her sophomore year of college, although she had known him throughout her childhood. She was sure he was the love of her life, something that became more real to her when she lost her virginity to him. Both had attended the same college, but Jimmy decided to transfer out of state after a year, so their sweet romance slowly dissolved with the distance and time. She met Zach a few years later. She had a lot of fun with him, and their relationship could have lasted longer, but after the death of her mother, Zach froze her out, not knowing how to handle a grieving girlfriend. It was for the best she had decided. Beth realized later in life that she had only been with Zach because she was lonely, a mistake she would not make again.

_But isn't that what you're kind of doing right now?_ Beth froze at that thought.

She shook her head as she put on her black chucks. Beth was a lot stronger now, emotionally. She was also more confident. She could honestly say she trusted herself, and was in a healthier state in her life. She would never put herself in a bad situation, or even a situation that would make her uncomfortable. She wasn't going to dismiss this thought, however. She was just going to see where things went with Shane. Because that's what grown-ups did.

An hour later, Beth was pulling into the makeshift parking lot near the county library. As she got out, the exquisite smell of fruit and honey filled Beth's senses, and she wondered why she hadn't come to the famous Kings County Farmers Market more frequently. With a few text messages, Beth quickly found Sasha, Tara, and Amy in front of a citrus stand.

"Hi Beth, I'm glad you could make it" even though she had just seen Sasha the day before, she was happy to see her friend again.

"You bet! You made this sound so great, how could I not. I really should come out here more often."

"Us too" Amy gestured to herself and Tara as she placed some lemons into her tote bag. "We're getting to be that boring couple that only lounge on the couch and watch TV on the weekends. It's nice to leave the house." Amy walked up to the merchant and paid for her stuff. Tara laughed as she turned to her friends "I don't know what she's talking about. Going to a farmers market on the weekend? See, we can be spontaneous." She commented as she walked up to join Amy.

Beth smiled as she walked to the following stand, Sasha close behind. "I can't wait to be in a boring relationship" Beth sighed as she picked up a ripe mango and brought it to her nose.

"With Shane?" Sasha asked, watching her closely.

Beth grimaced before shrugging and putting the mango back.

_Sign 1: not thinking about him in your future._

"I know you don't believe it right now, but you will find that someone to be bored with. It'll happen before you know it" Sasha smiled as she placed her arm around her.

"What will happen?" Amy and Tara joined them.

"Beth will find her soul mate" Sasha answered with a grin "And they will be boring together."

"Oh, no doubt about that." Tara winked at her friend. Beth would have been a fool not to believe her.

After a couple of hours of walking around and enjoying each other's company, the four women found themselves sitting on a bench eating shaved ice treats that Beth had treated them to.

"I can't believe I've lived here close to ten years, and never been out here before." She marveled out loud as she took another spoonful of cherry ice.

"I like coming here more for the environment" Sasha responded looking around. "Shopping outside in the open air. What's not to like?"

"Plus it's great to come and people watch." Tara added "The most earthy and interesting people tend to flock here."

Beth perked up at those words. _A beautiful Sunday morning. Fresh produce, open air, nothing but nature around us. Nothing else going on in this sleepy town_. She stood up and started scanning the market. It was quite a few blocks wide, stretching out across a mile of the down town shopping area. Still, she felt sure she'd find what she was looking for.

"You okay Beth?" Tara looked up at her from her seat. Beth walked a few steps forward and spotted a familiar blur of shaggy brown hair. She immediately giggled and turned to her friends.

"I'll be right back ladies" she put the remainder of her shaved ice down and walked in his direction. "Is she okay? Did you see how red she got?" she heard Amy tell Tara as she walked away. Yep, she knew she was beet red. She just hoped it cleared by the time she reached him.

"I knew it!" She cried out as she got within arms distance. Daryl quickly turned around, a look of shock and then amusement as realization set in.

"I knew you'd be here!" she smiled triumphantly at him as she looked behind him and saw what stand he was at. "I mean, I didn't know you'd be at this exact location here," she reached for a jar of strawberry rhubarb jam. He chuckled as he took the jam from her hands.

"Careful girl. I've seen how clumsy you are." She playfully punched him in the arm, and was rewarded with his laugh. He put the jar back in its place and stepped back to watch her closely. Beth couldn't stop herself from properly looking at him as well. He was wearing a tan short sleeved button down shirt and baggy jeans. Usually when she saw him he was in professor mode, so it was nice to see him outside of that environment. She hoped he was thinking the same thing.

"So you come here often?" she asked as he waved goodbye to the merchant and started walking towards the produce.

"Yeah, I suppose. I'm here about twice a month." She liked that he looked at her when he spoke; it allowed her to take in his features and reinforce the fact that he was incredibly handsome. "You?"

She shook her head "No, this is my first time. I'm here with some friends" at that moment she turned in the direction of the girls, who just so happened to be staring back at her. Sasha and Tara quickly turned away once they were caught, but Amy kept staring, grinning widely at them. Luckily, Daryl was still watching her so she could at least save herself from that embarrassment.

"I should probably get back to them. I just wanted to say hi." She smiled at him. Even though she was the one who approached him, she couldn't stop the familiar fluttering sensation in her tummy.

"I'm glad you did" he smiled back, and that warming sensation came back to her face.

"I'll see you Monday?" he asked, finally looking down at his bag full of produce.

She nodded. "You bet. Bye Professor Dixon."

"Goodbye Baker Beth." He grinned as he walked away.

She stood there dumbfounded as she watched him leave.

_Sign 2: Swooning more over Daryl's nickname for me, then when Shane calls me gorgeous._

* * *

><p>It was probably guilt that had made Beth rush home and start baking. She washed and pealed the peaches she had purchased and began work on some mini-peach cobblers. She kept the dough cold so that she could pop them in the oven early the following morning and have fresh pies to take to work.<p>

She was determined to get Shane to try one of her pastries. It was of great urgency now. She left for work earlier than usual but didn't mind. It was worth it to have the strong smell of warm cobbler to accompany her on her drive to work. She parked in the campus security lot, figuring that the odds of her getting ticketed there were probably low considering who she was dating. Besides, she liked being a little bit of a rebel.

"Morning Rosita" she smiled as she walked up. "Is Shane in yet?" Rosita looked at her with a bored expression on her face. She was obviously not a morning person. "Yeah, hold on a sec." She went to go get him as Beth placed the warm cobbler on the lobby desk. She busied herself reading a copy of the year's campus crime report when she heard the familiar steps walk up to her. "Hey there gorgeous" his masculine voice filled the lobby. "What brings you here so early?"

"I brought you a pie" she said. _That's pretty direct and to the point._

"Oh" he looked down, not sure what to say. "It's small"

Rosita laughed as she watched the couple interact. It was a pretty awkward and stilted conversation. _Sign 3?_

"Yes, it is. It's mini-peach cobbler. If you like it, I have three more in the car" she smiled.

"I'll have it if you don't want it" Rosita interrupted as she took her place back behind the counter.

"No, it's not that I don't want it. I'm just not a fan of sweets" he looked at Beth unapologetically.

"You don't like sweets?" Beth couldn't comprehend what that meant. Who didn't like sweets?

"Well, some sweets are okay." He grinned wickedly at her as he leaned forward. Both Rosita and Beth groaned out loud, and Shane at least had the decency of looking embarrassed.

"Do you like sweets?" Beth looked at Rosita who was currently filing her nails.

"Uh, yes! Yes I do." Beth slid the pie in her direction, and Rosita quickly jumped out of her chair and grabbed it. "Awesome, I'm taking my break now" she said over her shoulder as she walked towards the back offices.

Beth chuckled as she watched her go and then turned to Shane. "What am I going to do now, Shane? You don't like sweets? That's kind of my specialty."

"I wouldn't worry about that Beth. I'm sure you'll figure it out" he said, grinning wider. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, okay." She said as she started to walk backwards towards the door. He shook his head and followed her out, holding the door open for her.

"I'll call you later" he leaned and whispered into her ear. Beth shrugged and turned to look at him "If you'd like" she responded, hoping her indifference would bother him. "I'll be having lunch with Daryl later today, so maybe you can call me after." _That should do it._

Instead of being bothered, however, he leaned further down to kiss her. Beth put her hand in his face and stopped him before he was able to make contact.

"No, no kiss" she declared taking her hand down and walking out in front of him.

She turned to look at him, and was relieved to finally see a look of shock.

She waved and turned towards her car.

"You don't get to choose which sweets you get."

* * *

><p>She couldn't help it. As soon as she got back to the library, she pulled Tara into her office and debriefed. Even though she wanted her honest opinion, Beth couldn't help but enjoy all the exaggerated features her friend made as she retold her morning's events.<p>

From disgust, to amusement, to anger, and finally pride for her friend, Tara's face told her everything she needed to know.

"Yes! Ha ha ha, yes! Bad-ass baby-girl Beth. You are my hero!" Tara clapping enthusiastically by the time Beth had finished.

"You sure I wasn't being too sensitive?" Beth almost whispered it.

"Friend, no." She stepped in front Beth to emphasize her point. "Beth, you are not a sensitive person. You a have a good head on your shoulders never doubt that. You are justified in every feeling you ever feel."

Beth smiled. She knew it, but it was nice to hear it from someone else.

"Besides," Tara continued "It's good for men like Shane to get dropped down a few notches. If you choose to continue this relationship, you'll be good for him."

Beth sighed. "I don't know if that's what I want."

_Sign 4. _

* * *

><p>"Baker Beth." He greeted her as he sat down at his usual spot.<p>

"Professor Dixon." She greeted in return. She took a bite of her sandwich as she forced herself not to look in his direction. She was trying to think logic thoughts, trying to sort things out. It didn't help when she had Mr. Blue sitting so closely to her. She smiled fondly as she remembered her old moniker for him.

_I'm justified in every feeling I feel_ Beth reminded herself as she took another bite.

"I got you something." Daryl reached over and pulled out a small brown paper bag. He handed it to her as if it wasn't a big deal. She looked at him before taking it from his hands, not sure how to respond.

"Daryl, thank you." She practically gasped, taken completely aback by his actions.

"Don't thank me yet. It's nothing really." He said as he lit the cigarette already in his mouth.

Beth looked at the bag for a short while before pulling out its contents. It was a small bottle of pear-honey jam. Beth recognized the label from the farmer's market booth she had seen Daryl at.

"This is supposed to taste good on all sorts of baked goods. Since you've been treating me for a while, I figured it was time I repaid the favor."

She turned the small glass jar in her hand, completely at a loss as to what to say. She looked up at him, and saw him give her that half smile of his that she had grown so fond of. "Or maybe it's my subtle way of asking for more goods." He chuckled at his own joke.

Before she could process what she was doing, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. An awkward, self-conscious hug, but a hug all the same. He had just reached for the cigarette in his mouth when Beth had enveloped him, essentially trapping him in that pose. She didn't let go even when she felt him bring his arm from under her, and gently grip his hand on her elbow. "Thank you." She said as she felt his chest against her cheek. "Daryl, thank you."

She pulled back and looked at him. He was looking over her head before looking back at her "It's nothing." He shrugged, standing up and putting out the cigarette with his shoe. Beth looked at her jar again and smiled. She put the jar bag in the bag, and stood up as well. Daryl was still looking over Beth's shoulders, causing Beth to turn and look in the direction Daryl had been staring.

"The fuck is that guy staring at?" He grumbled as Beth turned to face him again.

"Probably us." Beth shrugged, not feeling a single care in the world.

_Sign 5_

She sighed and turned around towards the figure again.

"That's Shane, my sort of boyfriend." She sighed as Shane made his way towards both of them.

_Well this just got even more interesting._

**A/N: I hope you all didn't think that the Farmers Market scene in this chapter was the "quality time" I was referring to in the last chapter. Cause it totally wasn't! How's that for another tease?**

**I don't believe I say this enough… but thank you so much for every review! Sorry that I didn't get back to most of you, but rest assured I will! I do not take for granted every kind word, or additional follow. I am so humbled. I was even more humbled when I was perusing some of my favorite Bethyl blogs over at Tumblr and saw that a few people had recommended this story. I think I yelled for a good five minutes when I read that. You are all the best, and I am so grateful for every single one of you. **

**Much love, your friend Mir**

**(p.s. Slabtown!)**


	15. I Am the Wafer

**A/N: I own nothing associated with TWD. If I did, I would have the cast insist that you finish all that leftover Halloween candy by yourself. **

"Sort of boyfriend?" Beth thought she heard Daryl mutter under his breath, a habit of his that she was beginning to pick up on. She thinks she sees a flash of disappointment in his eyes as he turned to stare at Shane.

Maybe she was hoping it.

Beth mentally shrugged as she mirrored Daryl and turned to watch Shane, silently counting down the seconds to their inevitable introduction.

It was probably the last thing she should have been concerned about at that moment, but Beth couldn't help but feel conflicted. _Exactly whose side am I on? _

She took a few steps towards Shane before stopping and turning back to Daryl. She wished she wasn't so damn naïve in regards to the opposite sex. She wanted to know what he was thinking. She turned to look at Shane who had the same blank expression on his face. She wanted to know what he was thinking too.

_Oookay, this may just be a little awkward_

"Hey" she smiled as Shane got within arms distance.

"Beth" he answered, though his eyes remained focused on Daryl. She unconsciously moved between both men, thinking it would be the safest for all of them. It was silly, really. Both men stood a good feet and a half taller than she did, so Beth wasn't really protecting anybody.

Both men glared at each other, Daryl watching Shane through hooded eyes, while Shane scanned Daryl up and down. Daryl had his arms crossed, almost as if bored, whereas Shane had the classic officer stance down, both thumbs hooked on his belt, shoulders back.

"This is my friend." Beth gestured towards Daryl as she turned slightly to her right, putting both men on either side of her. Shane referenced Beth for a second before looking back to Daryl. After what seemed like an eternity, Shane stretched out his hand.

"I'm Shane, Beth's lover." He said as means of introduction. Beth frowned at him but he was not paying any attention to her. She turned to Daryl and found his eyes were already on her. He had obviously seen her reaction.

After a few more seconds he took Shane's hand.

"Daryl."

Shane gave a half chuckle and let go of Daryl's hand. "Just Daryl?"

"Just Daryl" Daryl repeated "I don't need a label, Beth knows me well enough without one."

Beth laughed nervously. _Dear Lord, what is happening?_

Feeling the need to stand up for him, Beth turned to Shane. "Daryl is a professor in the science department" she looked between both men, but neither looked at her.

"And Shane," she continued as she turned to Daryl "is the head officer of campus security."

_And_ _not my lover_ she wanted to add.

"I'm surprised Beth hadn't mentioned me before" Shane still hadn't referenced Beth, and that possibly upset her more than the lover reference.

Daryl shrugged as he reached for another cigarette. "Beth doesn't owe me anything. She's free to decide what or whom she chooses to mention."

A voice deep inside of Beth perked up at this comment. It was the same voice that had been picking up several red flags that the still-insecure part of her refused to acknowledge. _Isn't it supposed to be Shane who defends me?_

Shane continued his stance, no real indication that Daryl had hit a nerve.

"Well Daryl, it's awful nice of you to keep my girl company" Shane carried on, ignoring Daryl's comment.

"She's the one giving me company." Daryl responded roughly.

She looked at Shane and saw that he had begun chewing the inside of his cheeks, finally showing signs of agitation. _This isn't going the way he wants._ Beth realized as she observed him.

At that moment she realized that neither men were ever going to be friends. She would just have to sort out what it all meant to her at a later point. Right now she knew she had to put a stop to this. It was unfair to subject Daryl to Shane any minute longer.

"Okay, I think my break is over." Beth reached down to pick up her bag and saw that both men continued to leer at each other. She sighed and turned to Daryl "Thank you so much for the jam, it was lovely." She smiled and was rewarded with a smile back.

She turned to look at Shane "Want to walk me back to the library?" _So I can get you the hell away from Daryl?_

"You go on ahead, I'll meet you later." Shane responded, keeping his eyes on Daryl.

"You should never turn down an invitation from a woman like Beth," Daryl stated, voice low and almost threatening. "Especially when the woman is, how did you put it? A lover." Daryl grinned as he said the last part, and at that moment Beth knew Daryl hadn't believed him.

She was so busy admiring Daryl at that moment that she hadn't noticed Shane taking a step in his direction. "Why don't you stay out of it, professor." Now it was Shane's voice which held the threatening tone, one that made Beth's heart race.

"You're the one who came and interrupted us, officer" Daryl growled back

"It didn't look like I was interrupting much of anything."

"Then I guess you weren't paying attention" retorted Daryl

Beth was genuinely surprised at Shane's comment. Hadn't he seen their hug? Or had that somehow escaped him. If he had missed that exchange then why was Shane being such a jerk? Beth then realized that both meant had closed the distance between them. She had to put a stop to this quickly before things got really ugly. It was bad enough that some of the lunch regulars were starting to look in their direction.

_Come on Greene, these are the guests you invited to your Beth Party. Do something._

"Oh my god, are you two done?" She was surprised by her tone as she swung her shoulder back strap over her head and grabbed Shane's hand.

"Daryl, I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Come on Shane, you're walking your _lover_ back to the office." She made sure to emphasize that word as she pulled him away in the direction of the library.

"It was great meeting you, Officer Shane" Daryl called out as they walked away. Shane immediately stopped and turned around, but Beth kept her hand on his and continued pulling him away. Her heart was pounding as she walked away, angry at herself for allowing the situation to get to where it did. Almost immediately she forgave herself as she realized their behaviors were completely out of her control.

Both were quiet on the way back. Beth trying to replay every second, and Shane, well, who knew what the hell Shane was thinking.

By the time they reached the front door of the library Beth turned to look at him and was surprised to see he looked exactly as he always did, no signs of distress anywhere.

She let go of his hand and was about to tell him goodbye before he interrupted. "That is not what I expected" he half laughed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"What do you mean?" Beth asked, dreading his response.

"When you said you had a friend named Daryl," he laughed again as he shook his head "I was expecting some scrawny redneck in suspenders."

She glared at him before she spoke "And not a respected Professor of Ecology and Sustainability?" Beth asked slowly, feeling the anger rise in her gut.

"Oh, he's respected is he?"

Beth slowly shook her head and turned around "I better get in before Patricia adds more things to my inbox" she called over her shoulders. She really didn't want to see him right now "I'll call you later" she added seconds before the door closed behind her.

* * *

><p>Beth understood she was fairly new with grown-up relationships. But she was pretty sure that in any type of relationships, you had to at least <em>like<em> the person you were dating. Beth opted to take the stairs rather than the elevator back to her office, giving her more time to process. She barely heard Patricia scold her for being back so early and not taking her full hour of lunch. Beth assured her that she wouldn't work more than her eight hours that day as she walked past her.

After an hour she was surprised by how much work she had managed to get done considering her eventful lunch. After she submitted the final UPC number for the agriculture textbook orders, she turned off her monitor. Beth closed her eyes and remembered the interaction between Daryl and Shane. Before she realized it, she had started to cry.

"Yes!" She heard Tara before she actually saw her "Patricia is going into a meeting with the dean so we will have a full hour before-''

She froze as she saw Beth sitting and quietly sobbing at her desk.

"Oh my God Beth, what's wrong?" She quickly rushed to Beth's side and pulled her into an embrace. "What's wrong friend?" Tara ran her fingers down Beth's hair in a soothing gesture, trying to figure out what else to say.

"I don't know" Beth softly gasped, trying to figure out what was going on with her.

"Okay," Tara continued stroking Beth's hair. "Let's try to figure it out." Tara pulled back and sat on the floor in front of her.

Beth nodded as she used her hands to wipe her face. She closed her eyes and inhaled deep.

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Breathe._

"Shane met Daryl." Beth opened her eyes and almost laughed. Tara's mouth had fallen open, and she held an expression that could either be described as horror or disgust. Tara quickly shut her mouth and shook her head. "Go on," she encouraged Beth.

Beth went onto describe in as much detail the standoff between both men. Well, mostly Shane's behaviors and Daryl's reactions to him.

"So, as you can see" Beth blew her nose as she finished telling the story "it was a bit of an awkward lunch, and I honestly don't know why I'm reacting this way."

"That must have been very uncomfortable." Tara reasoned "And Daryl's your friend."

"Yeah and Shane…" Beth began

"Oh Shane can go blow himself!" Tara interrupted. "Really, is he so insecure that he felt the need to whip it out and measure it for the both of you?"

"Oh my God Tara!" Beth brought her hands to her face and started laughing. She could always, always, depend on her friend.

"Hey," she reached out and patted Beth's knee "I made you laugh just now." She winked at her.

"Tara, what am I going to do?"

"I can't answer that Beth" she took Beth's hands in hers again and held her gaze. "However, I suspect you already know what to do."

Beth squeezed Tara's hands. "I don't think I like Shane anymore." She whispered.

"I don't think you do either" Tara whispered back.

* * *

><p>It was 5:13pm, and Beth had no desire to go home. She slowly packed her stuff and made her way out of the library. Rather than heading towards the parking lot, Beth made her way to her favorite bench and decided it was as good a time as any to spend some quality time with the ducks.<p>

"Hey friends, mind if I join you?" she asked a small flock that had been resting nearby. She remembered the uneaten wafers she had from lunch, and promptly took them out and threw them to the ducks. Two of them went scampering after a particularly large piece, one with a dark blue streak across its head, the other a dark tan one. Beth watched both ducks fight humorously over the wafer, and for whatever reason it reminded her of the Shane and Daryl showdown from hours ago.

_I am the wafer_ Beth thought as the blue streaked duck successfully snatched the wafer and waddled back to the water.

"Hello gorgeous" the familiar voice came from the right. That term of endearment use to make her feel uncomfortable because she had been so insecure, she didn't believe anyone would ever think that about her. Now the discomfort was over something different.

She turned and saw Shane approach her, a big smile on his face. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and Beth had to stop herself from crying again.

She knew what she had to do at that moment.

And it sucked.

"Hi Shane" she greeted in return as he sat down next to her.

"These damn ducks, always wanting to be fed" he shooed a duck away that was hoping to get some food from him.

She turned and looked at him for a while. When he finally looked back, the grin he had been wearing slowly began to fade, and a look of concern began to take its place.

"You don't like the ducks?" she asked softly, almost as if she was giving him one last chance.

He didn't respond, just continued to stare at her.

She took a deep breath and looked back to the water.

_Be honest. Be brave. Be strong._

"Shane, I really didn't like the way you treated my friend earlier today."

"Who, Daryl?" Beth nodded slowly. He cursed under his breath and brought his hands to his head. He leaned back, stretching his right leg in front of him.

"And it makes me sad that you seem pretty dismissive of my feelings and the stuff I try to make for you."

He turned and looked at her again. "You mean your pies?"

She nodded again, trying not to be hurt by his tone.

_Be honest. _

"I can't help but think that if you're going to be so passive about something as small as that," she continued "then who knows what other things you'll be passive about later." She looked down at her hands, proud to see they weren't shaking.

He stood, hands still splayed on his head as he walked towards the water.

"It's probably best if we just…" she didn't know how to finish that sentence.

_End this before we get too invested?_

_Go our separate ways?_

_Wish each other the best and say goodbye?_

As she continued to struggle for the words, Shane turned around and approached her. He took her hands and knelt in front of her. She stared at their hands, too afraid to look up.

"Beth?" He whispered, forcing her to meet his eyes.

He gave her a small smile and leaned into her ear "Its okay." He gave her a small peck on her cheek before turning and walking away.

* * *

><p>She sat there for a few minutes longer struggling to identify the emotions taking over. It was a strange mixture of confusion, relief, and sadness. She didn't think it was even possible to have all those at once, but only having one feeling didn't seem right either.<p>

Eventually she stood up and brushed off the wafer crumbs from her skirt. She reached down and took her bag and slowly made the walk towards her car, feeling incredibly tired and looking forward to her jammies and bed.

As she began practicing the conversation she would surely be having with Maggie when she called her later that evening, Beth stopped dead in her tracks as a new feeling took over. Not Confusion, or relief, or sadness.

Absolute certainty.

At that moment, Beth knew without a shadow of a doubt that everything would be okay.

Holding on to that feeling for a few moments longer, she turned around and looked behind her. Roughly fifty feet away stood Daryl Dixon, a look of surprise etched on his face.

_Be brave. _

_S_he tentatively smiled and raised her hand. He smiled in return and waved back. Beth lowered her hand and closed her eyes. There will be time to build new relationships. There will be time to continue her path of self-discovery. She was still Beth, and there was still time to grow.

No need to force anything just yet. She was just going to let things play out.

She turned around and walked towards her car.

_Be strong._

**A/N: Okay folks, the next chapter is guaranteed to answer ONE question you've all been asking. The chapter after that will answer the OTHER question that's been bugging you all. I hope you stick around for those.**

**I've checked my thesaurus and I'm almost out of adjectives to use that describe how happy you all make me with your reviews/PMs/favs/follows. Really, truly. From the bottom of my Bethyl heart…thank you!**


	16. An Invisible Piano

**A/N: So, it's been kind of a rough week here, and because this story is my drug of choice, and you all are my therapists, I wanted to update this fast. This chapter is a happy one, because we need happy in our world. **

**As always, I own nothing TWD. If I did I'd have the entire cast hire a mariachi band to come perform at your house, playing nothing but romantic ballads the entire night.**

She was trying really hard to stay between the lines. Charlie had made Beth promise to color Hulk perfectly, otherwise he would get mad at her, and Beth wouldn't like him when he's mad.

Charlie was currently sitting on her lap watching her color, completely focused on the superhero in front of them. Maggie was sitting across from them, busy with her own page, quietly humming the Spiderman theme as she went.

"What color should his pants be, Chuck?" Beth whispered softly in his ear, squeezing him in a backside hug.

"They should be brown Aunt Bethy, duh" he replied reaching for the crayon.

If there was anything that was going to cheer Beth up after her eventful week, it was hanging out with the Rhee family. That never failed to do the trick.

"Don't you feel so much better now?" Maggie asked, still focusing on her page. Maggie still had that uncanny ability to read her thoughts.

"Absolutely" Beth answered as she turned her page slightly to get a better angle.

They continued their work quietly, listening to the soft sound of wax scratching on paper.

"There, all done Chuck." She held up the picture in front of both of them "what do you think?"

"It's perfect Aunt Bethy." He quickly jumped off of Beth's lap and went running to his room, undoubtedly to tape the picture up on his bedroom wall. Beth smiled as she watched him go, missing those simple days of her youth when all it took was a finished drawing to brighten her day.

She leaned on the table placing her chin on her hand "Be honest with me, Mags. Was I being too hard on him? Was I wrong in breaking up with him just like that?"

Maggie kept coloring as she shrugged "That's not up to me to answer for you Beth."

She reached out and took her sister's hand still focused on her picture "You're a smart girl, and if his actions led you to break up with him, then I guess you did what was right for you." Maggie put her crayon down and looked up.

"Besides, it's not like you broke up with him because you didn't like his earlobes or something like that. He hurt your feelings, and that's that. There is no right or wrong there."

Beth squeezed her hand before letting go and picking up the crayon Maggie had just put down.  
>"I know." She said as she started to scribble random circles on a new sheet.<p>

"And now," Maggie continued sitting back in the chair "now you know what to look for in a relationship. You'll be able to recognize the signs better because of your time with Shane."

Beth nodded as she looked at her circles. This whole experience had taught her a lot, and for that she supposed she could be grateful.

"I guess now I know I don't like tough guys" Beth shrugged. "Big, authoritative, manly-man types"

Maggie smiled "See little sister, that's where you and I are different. 'Cause right there, you just described my type of man."

Almost as if on cue, Glenn walked into the kitchen

"Michael I told you, I'd get that ball down when I could" he said as he went to the refrigerator.

"But dad, the ball has been stuck up there forever. I want it now!" Muck squealed.

"I told you, I can't get it down until Tyreese brings my ladder back" Glenn argued.

Beth turned to her sister and saw Maggie dramatically fanning herself as she stared at her husband. She looked at Beth and mouthed the word "oh yeah" as she turned back to Glenn. Beth had to put her hand in her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Well call him now!" Michael demanded causing an obviously annoyed Glenn to turn around.

"No Michael I'm not going to call him. Besides, I'm reading the new Captain America so I'm a bit busy. Now, do you still want this juice box or what?"

Maggie had put her index finger to her mouth and bit it in mock arousal as she continued to stare at Glenn, and Beth had to look down at the table to keep from completely cracking up. It didn't work for long, because after a few seconds she started laughing so hard that she was gasping for air.

Glenn finally turned to the girls "Did I miss something?" he asked innocently as he looked between Maggie and Beth.

"Oh baby, you are such a turn on" Maggie said as she got up and pressed a big kiss on Glenn's lips, surprising and causing him to step back a few feet.

"Ew gross. Charlie, mom and dad are kissing again" Michael grabbed the juice box from Glenn's hand and ran out of the kitchen. Beth was finally able to calm down and take a deep breath when Maggie let go of Glenn, who had a look of both humor and confusion sprawled on his face.

"You need to quit it with the wine, ladies" Glenn exhaled as he walked out, following his boys.

Maggie kept smiling at him as she sat down at the table again. She turned to Beth and did a little shoulder dance before continuing with her coloring.

Beth sighed really deep and leaned back in her chair "You know Mags, there is something I'm grateful for, in terms of Shane I mean."

"What's that?"

"Early on, I made some comment to him about how I was a really shy, and the response he gave me was pretty great. He said he didn't believe me for a second. He said I was a strong, confident woman, and that was what had attracted him to me in the first place." Beth closed her eyes and remembered the conversation.

_"How you going to say you're shy and insecure, Beth?" _he had told her _"You came into the building, looked me straight in the eye, and pretty much asked me out. There was nothing shy or insecure about that girl."_

Maggie was looking intently on her, a small smile on her face "Did you feel confident?"

She thought about it for a second. "I did" she realized.

"Well then, that's another thing you can add to your list of important traits in a man. Someone who will make you feel confident."

Beth smiled and continued scribbling on her page.

"Although if you ask me," Maggie continued "I don't think you really need a man for that anymore."

* * *

><p>Another positive thing about being newly single that Beth came to appreciate was how her friends gathered around her to try and cheer her up. Beth was actually doing fine, but there was no way she was going to turn down pizza and hanging out with the girls.<p>

She made it to Amy and Tara's apartment and managed to open their door while simultaneously carrying two pizzas and a dozen chocolate chip cookies, Amy's favorite.

"Hey Beth, let me help you with that" Tara came out and took the cookies from her, leaving Beth carrying the large pizza boxes

"Thanks Tara…" she mumbled as Amy came out laughing, taking a pizza box from her.

"It's because she knows I won't be sharing those cookies with her once I get my hands on them" Amy explained while they walked into the small apartment kitchen.

"Why do I always get mixed up in your lover's quarrels?" Beth asked as she opened a box and took out a slice.

"Because you're the honorary third girlfriend" Tara called from the living room, making herself comfortable on the floor.

As Amy got the paper plates and cups out, Beth kept turning in the direction of the guest bedroom. She knew she was going to have to eventually confront this. It was just part of the process, the last piece of the puzzle that kept her from moving forward.

"Is Andrea home?" she asked Amy as she followed her to the living room.

"No, she's working her side job. No clue when she'll be back"

Amy had brought one of the pizzas into the living room and placed it on the floor between them. They had decided to have a girl's night in, pizza, cookies, and beer, complete with a movie that was entertaining enough to hold their attention, but not so much that it would distract them from just hanging out and talking.

Beth leaned back against the sofa as Tara scrolled down the television screen, looking for something to watch.

"Okay, can we all agree to watch something from the early 90s? You can never go wrong with something from that decade." The three of them agreed as Beth reached for her beer.

She frowned as she looked at the light blue can "Watermelon beer?"

"It's really good, you'll like it" Amy encouraged as she reached for her second slice of pizza.

"Sleepless in Seattle?" Tara asked.

"Too depressing." Beth said after taking a big gulp.

Both Amy and Tara stared at her.

"What?" Beth suddenly felt defensive "The kid's mom dies of cancer within the first minute. Plus, I'm not ready for a romance movie yet. Pass!"

"Okay, no romance and no death" Tara turned back to the screen and kept scrolling.

"Oh, stop! There, that one." Amy pointed to the screen "There's a little bit of romance, and a little bit of death, but both are done in the name of comedy."

Beth leaned forward towards the screen to see what Amy had chosen.

"Robin Hood: Men in Tights?" Tara scolded

"Yes, it's a classic. It gets my vote."

"I second it" Beth mumbled, mouth full of food.

"You two are strange." Tara acquiesced as she pressed play and reached for her food.

The title hadn't come up on the screen yet when they heard the front door open. Beth felt a little light headed and her heart began to pound loudly, which she wasn't ready to blame entirely on the beer.

"Hello ladies" Andrea announced as she practically ran into her room. Tara and Amy exchanged a quick look before both turning to Beth.

Beth smiled awkwardly and took another bite. Then she took another sip of her watermelon beer. That wasn't enough. She took a gulp.

Less than five minutes later Andrea emerged, newly changed, brushing her hair as she made her way towards the pizza.

"Don't wait up for me. I've got another date with my hot professor tonight" she exclaimed as she reached for a slice.

Amy rolled her eyes, as Tara looked over at Beth. Beth met her eyes and shrugged slightly.

"Well," Amy said as she swatted Tara's hand away from the food "make sure you tell Daryl that Beth sends her love."

Beth turned to her and tried to give her a dirty look. Andrea, for her part, swatted Amy's hand back and got a slice. She smiled at Beth and made her way out the door.

Beth closed her eyes and leaned back in the seat again, hearing the merry men rapping from the television, wishing she could just click a button and feel nothing.

The front door opened again, and Andrea's head popped in "Wait, what did you say?" she focused on Amy.

"I said," Amy attempted an exasperated tone "tell Daryl that Beth says hi."

Andrea shook her head "Who's Daryl?"

All three girls quickly turned to look at her, Amy slowly raising a cookie to her mouth.

"The professor your dating" Amy said as she took a bite of the cookie.

"I'm dating Phillip. Who's Daryl?" Andrea had stepped all the way into the apartment by then.

"Who's Phillip?" Tara asked.

"The science professor I'm dating. Who. Is. Daryl?" she walked slowly towards the girls, clearly a little amused by this point. Beth put both her hands to her face as she felt herself growing red.

"The science professor you're dating is named Phillip? I thought it was Daryl." Amy stood and walked to her room.

"You're really going to make me ask who that is again, aren't you?" Andrea called out after her sister before turning and looking between Beth and Tara.

Amy came back moments later with a copy of the previous year's school catalogue.

"When you said you were going out with a science professor from your department, you said it was this guy" she opened the catalogue to one that had clearly been marked and handed it to Andrea.

Beth was able to glimpse a bit of it as it was handed over. It was a picture of Daryl in front of a group of students, obviously some advertisement for the science department.

"Not that one, genius" Andrea's accent came out strong. She pointed to the bottom right of that same page and handed it back to Amy "That one. Professor Phillip Blake"

"Oh," Amy pouted as she looked down.

"Him?" She looked at her sister and Andrea responded with a smack to her shoulder.

"Daryl is cuter" Amy said as she went back to the floor and showed Tara.

"Oh yes, much cuter." Tara agreed and turned to Beth "Beth wins when it comes to choosing science professors."

"Wait, you're talking about Daryl Dixon!" Andrea exclaimed as she finally made the connection. She dropped her purse on the couch and went around sitting next to Beth. She took her phone from her back pocket and started texting immediately.

"What are you doing?" Beth panicked as she reached for Andrea's phone.

"Relax, I'm just telling Phillip that I'm going to be late" she said as she typed. She put the phone down and reached for a beer.

"I want to hear all about this." She shook Beth's shoulder lightly. "It sounds like it's gonna be a great story"

Beth smiled wide as she saw how excited Andrea was. She turned to look at her friends who were both smiling as well, Amy leaning her head on Tara's shoulder, encouraging her to talk. Beth shook her head and reached for the remote, raising the volume of the television, deciding to get lost in the movie instead.

* * *

><p>The heat was getting to be too much these days, yet Beth could not stay away from her little piece of green once the lunch hour arrived. She got to her spot, grateful for the shade under the tree providing enough cool to make it bearable. She leaned back all the way and felt the soft grass tickle her back. She placed her right arm over her eyes, palm facing up, and focused on all the noises around her.<p>

July was right around the corner, and the campus had grown quiet and slowed down some. There were very little faculty and students around, something that didn't bother Beth in the least.

She sensed Daryl approaching her, knew it was him before he fully arrived. She wondered if she would ever get over the initial shyness she always felt when he came by. She didn't remove her arm or sit up; she just continued to lie there. She was too comfortable, and wanted to enjoy the quite. She also wanted to get to know him better.

Beth knew what he looked like, was starting to learn his mannerisms, and could distinguish the sound of his voice. But now she wanted to learn what he sounded like when he moved, how he affected her surroundings, experience a different level of recognition.

She remained still as she heard his steps walk up to her. She heard him stop for a second, and then continue again before he reached her. She felt and heard a small thump by her head as he placed his pack down. She heard the way the air moved slightly as he lowered his body, as his hand made contact with the grass next to her, and as he settled all the way to the ground. She heard the sound of him fussing with his pocket, the unmistakable sound of him pulling out a cigarette from its box, and the click of his lighter.

She moved her fingers gently, as if playing the keys to an invisible piano, giving him a sign that she was awake and present. Her left arm was splayed across her stomach, those fingers mirroring the motions of her right. If she concentrated hard, she knew she'd figure out what song her fingers were playing.

"I'm sorry Beth." He said after a few minutes of silence.

Beth stopped playing her song, frozen at his words.

"I wasn't being very respectful to your man." Beth slid her arm to the top of her head and turned towards his direction.

"It's okay. He wasn't being very respectful to you" she responded sadly, not taking her eyes off him.

"Doesn't make it right." He said as he turned to look away, picking at his slacks.

Beth sighed and slowly sat herself up.

"Daryl?"

He turned to look at her. She smiled at him and reached for the bottom of his sleeve, which he had folded up to his elbows. She pulled at it gently.

"It's okay, I forgive you" she didn't let go of his shirt until he looked down. She hadn't realized that she was stroking her knuckles against his exposed skin. She quickly let go and felt herself blush. She pushed some loose hair behind her ears and focused on the grass in front of her.

"Besides," she continued as she started playing with the grass "he was kind of a jerk." She looked back at him "We're not together anymore." She smiled shyly before pulling on the grass again.

"Is that right?" he responded, a grin forming on his face.

She laughed as she saw it "Yeah, that's right. Why you smiling Professor Dixon? Break-ups are a sad thing."

He chuckled at that as he put out the cigarette beside him.

"Yeah, real sad." He said as he turned to her, smile bigger than before.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes "Nice to know I have your sympathy."

"I'll only give you sympathy if you're really sad about the whole thing." He looked at her, daring her to respond. Instead she rolled her eyes again and looked away.

"Actually, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm kind of glad for it. It makes what I'm about to ask less awkward now." He looked at her and took a deep breath.

Beth felt her stomach do a flip, not sure what to expect.

"Carol" he said firmly.

Beth blinked and put her hand to her chest.

"Beth." She said as if introducing herself for the first time.

"No," he laughed, clearly a little embarrassed.

"Carol" he attempted again "It's her birthday next week."

Beth felt her hand close into a fist on her chest, felt her eyes beginning to water.

"Her mother and sister want to throw her a party of sorts. Well, more like a brunch really. It's just an excuse for some of her family and friends to get together and remember her."

Beth's face lit up in a smile at that thought of that.

"I was wondering" he added slowly "if you wanted to come with me."

"Yes" Beth answered without giving it any thought. "I would love to come."

"Yeah?" She didn't know why he would be so surprised.

Beth smiled and nodded in response.

"Well alright then" he smiled at her.

"Alright then" she responded.

Blue. That was the song she had been playing.

**A/N: Fooled you! Daryl was never with Andrea. **

**By the way, watermelon beer is legit good. Try it if you get a chance :) Also, because I'm a dork with a account, I snuck in an Arrested Development reference.**

**I literally cannot thank you beautiful people enough. I'm sorry if you're all tired of hearing how much I love you all, and how much I appreciate every word! I'm not tired at all about telling you! **


	17. Through the Trees

**A/N: Sorry I've been naughty. Here's the update finally! I'll keep the AN short so that we can just cut to the chase (but know that I still love each and every one of you more than is probably healthy)**

**As always, I own nothing TWD. If I did, I'd have the cast take you to see that sappy movie you've been dying to see, never once letting go of your hand.**

Beth guessed she'd been standing in front of her bathroom mirror for over twenty minutes. She alternated between getting ready and daydreaming about her afternoon with Daryl. He had told her that this would be a casual afternoon, so no need to get "fancied up." She decided on wearing jean capris and a flowly yellow floral blouse. Something about that color made her think of Carol, and she couldn't quite figure out why.

"I'm not nervous. This isn't a big deal" she told herself as she parted her hair in three sections at the crown of her head.

"This is not a big deal" she repeated as she finished her braid, tying the end at her side.

She walked out to her kitchen and tried to keep herself busy until Daryl arrived to pick her up, trying hard not to smile at that thought. She looked around and noticed the small pile of laundry on her sofa. She had considered cleaning up a bit, but decided against it, choosing to sleep in rather than clean. Besides, she had a feeling seeing her messy apartment wouldn't bother Daryl away. It wasn't as if she had a week's worth of dishes piled up…which she didn't anymore because she made sure to wash them the night before. Even still, he'd be there soon, so she figured a little pre-brunch cleaning might ease her nerves. She put the laundry in a basket and took it to her room trying, unsuccessfully, to keep her mind occupied on mundane things.

The second she walked into her bedroom, she heard a knock. Immediately, her heart started racing.

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Breathe._

She slowly walked back to her living room and walked up to the door. She took a deep breath and opened it.

"Hi Aunt Bethy!" Charlie greeted her, a huge smile on his face.

"Chuck?" Beth was confused "Maggie? Hey guys."

"Hello baby sister, how you doing?" Maggie walked in, Charlie firmly on her hip. Beth turned and followed them inside, scowling when Maggie sat herself comfortably on her couch.

"What are you two doing here?" Beth asked, honestly confused.

"Oh, I came to bring this back to you" Maggie handed Beth a plastic container missing its lid. Beth took it from Maggie and examined it closely

"This isn't mine" she spoke mostly to herself as she turned it over in her hand.

"You came all the way across town to…" it hit Beth the second she saw Maggie smiling.

"Maggie, are you insane? Get outta here!" Beth panicked as she realized her sister had arrived to see Daryl.

"Oh relax, Elizabeth." Maggie leaned back on the couch as she plopped Charlie right next to her. How was Beth supposed to relax? She was a hot mess at the moment, and having her older sister present to witness her freak out first hand was not helping.

"Ain't no harm done" Maggie smiled widely at her younger sister, clearly amused by her reaction.

Beth stomped her foot, clenched her fists, and looked up at the ceiling, embarrassed at the fact that she had just been reduced to a temper tantrum.

"I swear Maggie, so help me God…"

"Did I, um, come at a bad time?" Both women turned to the front door only to find Daryl standing there, one hand out in greeting, the other tucked in his front jean pocket.

_Must be why they keep us in the back…_

"Mommy, you forgot to close the door" Chuck scolded her "that's how strangers and weirdos get inside." Maggie wasn't paying attention however, she was too busy checking Daryl out top to bottom.

"Oh Chuck, the weirdos are already in here" she turned to Chuck and gave her sister a dirty look.

She turned back to Daryl "Not you." He smiled in response and took a tentative step inside.

"Wow Beth, not even going to invite him in, are you? How did mom fail you?"

Beth turned slowly to her again and mouthed a dirty word. It only made Maggie laugh more.

"So, I take it you're Maggie?" Daryl walked further in, stopping right next to Beth.

"Yes, hello. Nice to meet you Daryl-"

"-Daryl" his name overlapped with Maggie's as he attempted to introduce himself.

"I guess you already know my name" he chuckled as he let go of her hand. Both turned to look at Beth who was pinching her nose, too flustered to notice them staring.

"So we better take off." Maggie looked at her son as she stood "Chuck has gymnastics and we don't want to be late."

"Mommy, it's not gymnastics, its super hero training."

"Oh yes, sorry I forgot. They only call it that so they can charge more." Maggie tutted as she walked towards the door.

"So call me later Bethy, and let me know how it goes with that thing" she turned and directed her attention back to Daryl.

"It was sure nice meeting you Daryl. Hope to see you around."

He smiled and waved goodbye to her as Beth followed her out the door. She was about to say something to her but Maggie interrupted "You're welcome, Beth" she winked as she walked down the hall.

Beth stepped back inside her apartment and closed the door behind her.

"Siblings, right?" Daryl smirked when Beth finally got the nerve to look at him.

"Ah, so you get it?" Beth chuckled.

"Yeah. Merle was always…" he chuckled and shook his head almost as if whatever memory came up was too much.

"Let's just say, I'm glad he's clear across the state" he finished as he made eye contact. Beth smiled in return and turned to look at the clock.

11:17am

"So, I guess we should head out?" She shrugged, knowing that from that moment on he was taking the lead. And Beth was happy to follow.

* * *

><p>She followed him out of the apartment building, holding the cake she had made, insisting that she could handle it on her own. Daryl protested but settled for holding all doors open for her, the most gentlemanly thing he could do (he had laughed at that comment when she made it). As they made their way into the street she followed him to his pickup, idly commenting about the beautiful day. There wasn't anything special about his truck; it was one of those basic Ford pickups from the late 1980s, yet it seemed to suit him well. As he went to open the passenger side, Beth noticed a few crates in the back filled with an assortment of flowers, she looked at him only to have him smile and wink at her, as he took the cake from her hands, allowing her to step in easily.<p>

On the trip over, they fell into an easy conversation about nothing in particular; Beth's idea to bake a cake for the occasion, Daryl wanting to take the first bite. Daryl debating about taking on a new class for the following semester, Beth cringing at the idea of having to order that new book if he decided to go for it. The awkward silence that Beth dreaded never came.

A few minutes before noon, Daryl pulled up into a small green farmhouse sitting on a large apple orchard. There was a small wooden gate that appeared to surround the home, along with a lush yard that also circled the house.

"This is gorgeous" she said as she stepped out of the truck. Daryl took advantage of her distraction and removed the cake from her hands. She didn't protest this time.

"It's been in their family for decades" he responded as he gestured her to follow him. She absentmindedly tugged her blouse as she followed Daryl, letting the songs of the whitetails flying above them fill her senses. She noted how comfortable Daryl appeared, obviously having been here many times before. They hadn't reached the second step of the porch before the front door swung open.

"Daryl Dixon!" The older woman came rushing out to greet him, placing both of her hands on top of his, essential holding the cake with him.

"Meg" he greeted in return as he leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek. He stepped aside and turned to Beth.

"Meg, this is Beth Greene" he looked back at the older woman "She's a good friend of Carols"

The woman beamed at that last part, making Beth blush a little.

"Beth," he turned back to her "This is Megan McBride, Carol's mother."

"How lovely to meet you Beth" the woman came up to her and pulled her in for a soft warm hug.

"And you" Beth said as she squeezed tightly before letting go. Megan's eyes were bright and brimming with tears.

"Now come in Beth, you too Daryl." She led them inside towards the kitchen.

Meg hadn't stopped thanking Beth for her cake, especially after Daryl promised her that it would be the best cake she had ever tasted. Upon hearing him say that, Beth was sure she could fly.

"I thought I heard you in here" a younger woman came in from the south side of the home and pulled Daryl into a big hug.

"Susan, this is Beth, an old friend of Carol's" Meg placed her hands on Beth's shoulders as she made the introductions "This here is Carol's little sister."

Beth was enthralled by the similarities between both mother and daughter. Their bright eyes, small nose, and wide smile. Both women had the same short hair Carol had, Meg's hair wisps of gray and white, closer to the Carol's shade, whereas Susan's was a dark walnut color. There was no doubt that these three women were related.

"Ah, so you're a friend of _Carol's_" Susan said as she turned to look at Daryl who bit his thumb as he walked towards the refrigerator. Susan opened her mouth in a silent cheer at his obvious embarrassment, as Meg chuckled slightly and shook her head.

"Beth, what an honor to finally meet you" she placed a soft hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. Beth was moved by the familiarity of the gesture and placed her hand on top of hers.

"Finally meet me?" Beth asked as she looked between mother and daughter. There was no chance for them to answer however, the women having been interrupted by the doorbell. Susan put her finger to her lips as she walked out of the kitchen, leaving Beth to wonder what it all meant.

"Damn McBride women…" Daryl muttered to himself as he pulled out a drink.

"Hey, don't swear." Beth chided him with a playful slap to his shoulder. Daryl looked at her scowled.

Meg laughed as she followed her daughter to the door. "Oh Daryl," she commented on her way out "I really like this one."

Beth smiled up to him, giddy to see his reaction, red in the face and refusing to look at her. She didn't want things to get awkward, so she smiled wide at him and poked his side, happier still to see him squirm.

"Aw, Daryl, she likes me." She cooed when he turned to look at her.

"Yeah well, she likes me too, so no accounting for her taste." He smiled back as he pushed himself from the refrigerator.

"Come on. Let me give you a proper tour of this place before everyone shows up."

* * *

><p>After the brief tour of the house, Daryl had taken her outside and walked her around the apple orchard, sharing memories of Carol from the many years they knew each other.<p>

"So, you two have been in each other's lives for a long time" Beth stated after they had decided to sit for a bit on a fallen tree they had stumbled upon.

"Twenty years" he responded, taking out his second cigarette since they sat down.

"I don't think I've known anybody that long that wasn't family" she responded somberly, playing with the dirt on the ground with her Toms.

"She was my family."

Beth looked down at the marks her shoes were making on the dirt, not knowing what to say to the man sitting next to her.

"I can't imagine that sort of loss" she finally responded, still looking down

"I mean, I understand the loss of a family member, but yours was more than that wasn't it?"

He looked at her, head tilted slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Losing someone who was many things to you. A lover, family member, a friend." She gave him a shy smile as she slowly turned to look at him.

Daryl shook his head as he inhaled his cigarette. "Nah, Carol and I were never together like that."

Beth was surprised, going back in her mind at all those interactions of theirs she'd witnessed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed…"

Daryl shook his head again "No, I mean, there was a time long ago when maybe, but no" he threw the butt of his cigarette in front of them and crushed it with his boots.

Beth was still attempting to process this information. She stepped on the butt as well, moving it around with her toes.

"And then Sophia died, and everything changed. The Carol I'd known for all those years was just gone."

"How did it happen?" Beth asked before she had a chance to think.

"An accident, simple as that." He looked up towards the house, peaking out slightly from the trees.

"She was roller blading outside, stepped onto the street the same time a car was turning." He kept his eyes on the house "The car wasn't speeding, wasn't doing anything wrong. The driver was blinded for a split second by the sun. That second was all it took." He turned to look at Beth. "It was almost worse that way. Nothing or no one to blame."

Beth looked down at her hands, her vision blurring.

"Carol changed, both for the better and the worse. She became stronger, resilient, but she was never the same." He looked down at Beth's dirt designs and then up to her "Her light went out, and it never came back on."

They sat silently for a while, hearing the voices of family and friends gathering outside.

"I saw lots of pictures of her and Carol at the wake the school had for her. They were lovely, both beautiful girls." She remembered, looking down at her now dirty shoes.

"Huh," he grunted to himself as he looked sideways at her.

He stared at her for a short while, Beth feeling the intensity of it on her neck. "You know, I actually saw you at that thing."

Beth turned to him confused.

"Really? I don't remember seeing you there." Not that she would have, she wasn't there very long.

"Yeah, well, I didn't so much as see you as, uh, feel you." He chuckled slightly at that last word, gesturing towards his chest. "You kind of ran into me on your way out."

Beth looked at him embarrassed, feeling her entire face growing hot.

"That was you" Beth half gasped half giggled. He gave her his famous half smile as he nodded, causing her to laugh again.

"Well, you're very sturdy" she looked at him, shoulders shrugged not knowing what more to say. Daryl saved her from further embarrassment by laughing at her, as he looked up towards the orchard tops, clearly a little embarrassed as well by her statement.

After a few minutes Daryl sighed loudly, moving his head downward as he looked down at the ground again. "Hell. I miss her."

Beth quietly nodded. As much as she wanted to be out there with him, she recognized that he probably needed a minute alone. She turned to look at him, observed how he had his head down, legs spread out, his hands on his knees, almost as if he wasn't sure of what to do. She reached out and placed her hand on his. She squeezed it tightly and felt him relax. She leaned forward and pressed her lips gently on his cheek, kissing him closer to his mouth than she had intended. He turned his head in her direction as she slowly pulled away. She stopped the moment his eyes focused on hers, a mere inch away from his, and they sat there silently gazing at each other, Beth feeling his warm breath on her lips.

She closed her eyes and smiled as she struggled to find the strength to move.

_This isn't the time_

"I'm gonna see if Meg or Susan needs my help" she whispered as she opened her eyes, squeezing his hand once more before she stood and walked through the trees.

* * *

><p>She wasn't quite sure how she made it to the back porch from the orchard. She was sure a part of her was still with Daryl, his presence so strong that she still felt his breath on her as she walked away.<p>

"Beth!" A familiar voice greeted her, breaking her of her trance.

"Sasha" Beth beamed as both women walked towards each other, embracing tightly when they met.

"What a lovely surprise" Beth smiled at her friend as she released her.

"Isn't it? I didn't know you'd be here, but then again, it makes perfect sense" she smiled as she looped her arm around Beth's waist and led her to one of the wicker seats that had been placed outside. There were roughly twenty people outside now, their voices intermixing with the other. Laughter surrounding them, and it just felt right.

"You come here alone?" Beth asked as she sat down next to Sasha.

"No, Bob and Tyreese came with me. Bob was one of Carol's students as well, and Tyreese, well, he knew I'd need the extra emotional support."

Sasha turned back to look at the house "They're both inside chatting with some other students and friends who came out today. How about you? Did you bring Maggie with you?"

Beth shook her head.

"Actually, no. I came with Daryl" She smiled to herself as she pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Sasha froze for a second before a huge smile appeared on her face. She knew that Glenn and Tyreese talked just as much as she and Maggie had, so she was positive Sasha knew all about Daryl. Plus, she had seen them at the farmers market. She leaned over to Beth as if to tell her something, but at the last second moved back, apparently having changed her mind. Beth was secretly relieved.

"Beth, sweetie, have you seen Daryl?" Susan walked up to the girls, scanning the backyard searching for him.

"I left him in the orchard, it looked like he needed a minute" Beth said softly, knowing that Susan knew what she meant. "Is there something I can help you with, though?" She stood as she saw Bob and Tyreese walking towards her.

"That would be great, thanks." Susan gestured Beth to follow her inside so that they could bring all the food out and get the brunch started. Beth gave both men a quick hug before she followed Susan inside, telling Sasha she would be back soon. After Beth's third trip to the kitchen, a movement from the window caught her eye. She saw Daryl leaning towards the bed of his truck, taking out the crates of flowers he had brought.

"We're going to plant a garden today." Meg walked up next to her, turning towards the window as well.

"Daryl brought some flowers from his greenhouse. Thought it'd be nice to do in Carol's honor. She loved gardens" Beth saw Tyreese approach Daryl outside and offered to help carry some of the crates. When both men were out of sight, Beth turned to Meg and smiled fondly at the older woman.

"Carol was such an amazing woman. I am very lucky to have known her, even if it was only for a few months."

"Were you a student of hers?"

Beth shook her head as the memory of their first meeting at the library filled her head. "No, I wasn't a student." She responded shyly. "I just mended a book for her once, and after that we became friends."

Meg put her hands to her mouth as realization set in.

"Her father's old book? The DSM?"

Beth nodded

"Oh, I remember her talking about that. It meant so much to her. And us" she walked to the small living room, Beth following closely behind. On top of a bookcase were several pictures that Beth hadn't noticed. Many photographs were years old, one of Megan and Carol's father from their wedding. On the first shelf, Meg pulled out a small yellow book Beth would have recognized anywhere. Meg looked at it fondly as she handed it to Beth.

"Daryl brought it to us a while back. Said someone special had fixed it." She smiled at Beth, indicating he had meant her. "He said that someone had poured a lot of love into this book, and it needed to be where it would be cherished and treasured."

Beth hadn't stopped looking at the book, slowly caressing the cover like she had so many times before.

"I think I'm going to return the book to Daryl," she continued "I believe that he's in a place where he can finally cherish and treasure it for himself."

"What makes you say that?" Beth asked, looking up at her. Meg just smiled as she tilted her head slightly, never letting go of her eyes.

"Oh."

**A/N: Just like my spirit animal Liz Lemon once said… life is HAPPENING!**

**P.s. pop culture reference in this chapter: "The Princes Bride"**


	18. Flowers in Your Hair

**A/N: I own nothing TWD. If I did, I would have the cast sit with us during the mid-season finale, holding our hands, guiding us through all the emotions we will be going through, and then letting us cry onto their shoulders when it's all over. **

One wouldn't think that they had all gathered together to remember a friend who had passed less than seven months ago. Yet there they were, friends and family all together, and Beth didn't feel anything but happiness.

She had fallen into an easy conversation with Susan, both women sharing stories about their youth. Granted, Susan had a good ten years on Beth, but even still they seemed to have gotten into similar mischief as children.

More often than not, Beth would turn and look at Daryl who was on the other side of the yard, close to the food naturally, chatting with Tyreese. She couldn't help but realize how much their actions emulated each other's, Beth looking at Daryl a second before he would turn to look at her, and likewise for him. It was almost as if both had thought to seek each other out at the same moment. Every time without fail, they'd both smile shyly before turning away. More than one time she had caught Susan and Sasha giving each other knowing looks whenever Beth returned to their conversation.

"Excuse me, hello." Meg stood among the crowd, raising her voice in attention. "This is the moment during brunch when I interrupt you and thank you for coming out here today" she continued, wide smile on her face. A few people laughed and raised their drinks at her.

"Today isn't a day to mourn for Carol" her voice cracked at her daughter's name, causing Susan to stand and join her mother, wrapping one arm around her and whispering something into her ear. Meg closed her eyes and shook her head at whatever Susan had said as both women held hands.

"Today is a day to celebrate each other as friends and family. To be around those we love and who love us back" Meg wrapped her arm around her daughter and placed a kiss on her cheek. Susan wiped some tears from her eyes and smiled as she looked at the people in front of her.

"Today is a day to be grateful that we are alive and present to receive this love" Meg's voice cracked again as she looked down for a second. She took a deep breath and raised her head, taking a moment to look at each person's face, as if she wanted everyone to understand what she was trying to articulate.

"Let us all live every day like today. For our Carol. For our Sophia."

The backyard erupted in cheers as mother and daughter embraced. Sasha and Beth had joined in on the cheers and hugged each other, smiling and crying at the sight of the other. After a few seconds Sasha went running to Bob, leaving Beth to turn to the man who continued to make the butterflies soar.

She met his eyes the moment he turned to meet hers. They held each other's gaze and it was Daryl who initiated a smile this time. He slowly brought his hand to his corner lip, placing it on the exact spot where Beth had kissed him hours before. Beth took a deep breath and smiled in return, unconsciously bringing her hand to her heart and curling her fingers over the spot, feeling the thumping growing stronger and faster. She wasn't sure what she was communicating to him at that moment, and she was willing to bet he didn't either. So they both just stayed in that pose; love, family, and friends surrounding their being.

"And now, we'd like you all to join us in honoring her" it was Susan's turn to speak. "Our friend Mr. Daryl Dixon was generous enough to bring some flowers for us to plant today. We'd love for you all to pick some floras and plant them in that little garden by the orchard. A special thanks to the lovely Axel who built it for us." Beth turned to the man in question, a tall lanky man with orange hair and a long mustache, goofy grin on his face as he waved embarrassingly at the crowd.

"So everyone, come on!" Susan gestured enthusiastically "Chop, chop, we've got some planting to do."

* * *

><p>Beth smiled as she looked around the large backyard, people talking and laughing all around her. Not a somber look on anyone's faces, just smiles all around. A large patch of green and brown had been turned into a makeshift garden, the guests all taking turns in picking out flowers from the crates, before gently planting them in their new home. Beth had cheated a little, choosing a variety of zinnia flowers rather than a single color. Daryl had brought plenty, and she was pretty sure that he wouldn't mind if she helped herself.<p>

She was currently on her knees, digging holes for her flowers, not minding at all about the stains that were forming on her capris. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her palm, happy to know her flowers would be receiving plenty of sunshine. From across the yard, she saw Daryl scan the garden before making eye contact with her. He smiled and started making his way towards her, awkwardly putting his hands in his pockets. Beth smiled in return and looked down at her dirty hands, hiding her face from him as she closed her eyes. She wanted to feel his presence before she saw him again, just like she had the day he had invited her to come.

"What have you got here?" Daryl asked sitting right next to her, crossing his leg as he gently leaned into her.

"Some beautiful zinnias" she held up a magenta one.

"This is a good one." He took the flower from her hands and stared at it. "This color zinnia symbolizes lasting affection." Beth followed his gaze to the flower, smiling sadly as she thought of her affection for Carol.

"And this one" he gestured towards one she had already planted. "This white zinnia symbolizes goodness." He pointed to one next to it "The yellow embodies daily remembrance." She looked at the colors surrounding them, realizing that Daryl must have chosen the variety specifically for Carol.

"When you present zinnias in a mixed selection like you got here," he gestured at Beth's selection "the flowers as a whole take on a new meaning."

She turned slowly to him as he did the same. Without warning he reached out and brushed her brow with his thumb, removing a smear of dirt from her forehead.

"And what's that?" She whispered, trying to keep her composure.

Daryl sighed and looked back at the flowers.

"In remembrance of a friend" he answered as if speaking to them.

Beth felt a lump form in her throat, but forced herself to remain at ease. Today was not a day for mourning after all.

"What about you? What did you plant?" She asked.

"A sweet pea shrub" he pointed towards the small wooden gate that surrounded the garden entrance.

"Sweet pea," she repeated as she looked at the violet buds "do they hold a special meaning?"

"Yeah. Sweet peas are a way of thanking people for a lovely time upon their departure." He looked at Beth "A form of goodbye"

She felt the tears tickle down her face, having lost all ability to control their flow. She was about to wipe them away when she heard Daryl's whisper.

"Don't" he gently stopped her hand and put it down. "No need to dirty your pretty face" he wiped the tears from both cheeks as he smiled at her. She chuckled slowly as she looked down. He handed back the magenta flowers and watched her plant them.

* * *

><p>It was close to 10pm, and only a few people remained. Besides Sasha, Tyreese, and Bob, a few others stayed around to help the McBride women clean up and further reminisce. Axel, the old family friend who had built the garden (Beth made a mental note to ask Daryl about him), Eugene (Susan's quiet and odd husband), and Haley and Noah, two former students of Carols.<p>

Though there were less people around, it could be assumed that the party had remained at full force based on all the laughter and noise coming from them. Their ruckus could also be explained by the alcohol Bob and Daryl had picked up hours earlier.

Haley had just finished telling a story about Carol from when she was a student in her classroom, leaving all the guests laughing and groaning, Susan more so as she held onto her husband. "Yeah, I'm surprised Carol didn't get into trouble, some of the things that woman did in front of her students shocked me!"

Noah turned to look at Haley "Remember when Professor Peletier showed us those penis graphs?" Haley almost spit out her beer as the entire living room erupted in laughter.

Meg dramatically put her hand on her chest "What on God's earth are you talking about?"

Haley started shaking her arms and head as if trying to clarify. "They weren't penis graphs." She hiccupped when she was able to compose herself.

"It was a dot chart that was supposed to show correlation versus causation in one of our research classes." Noah added.

Daryl started laughing "I saw that graph! Carol showed it to me." He turned to Meg "They looked like dicks to me."

Beth swatted his chest at his comment seconds before the memories came to her as well

"Oh! I remember that story!" Beth suddenly exclaimed, a little louder than she'd intended "She told me about it during one of our breaks. She was so angry that they all laughed." She turned to Daryl "She was angry that you laughed too! Called you an ass"

The entire group continued laughing, especially after Noah had found the charts on his phone and passed the photos around.

Beth was feeling really relaxed, not quite drunk, but a little passed tipsy. She and Daryl were sitting on a large loveseat, plenty of room where it wasn't necessary for Beth to rest her entire body against his side, but she was too comfortable leaning on him, and Daryl didn't appear to mind. Sometime during the conversation he had draped his arm around her, his hand chastely placed on her left shoulder.

"I loved hearing her stories." Beth continued as she smiled at Meg.

"My favorite was the one she told me of the student falling asleep in her class."

"I don't think I ever heard that one" Susan responded leaning forward in her seat.

"Me neither" Sasha added.

Beth turned to look at Daryl and he shrugged and shook his head.

"Well, I guess one of her students fell dead asleep during one of her lectures" Beth began, happy to have a story to contribute "rather than wake him up right away, she made her whole class get out of their seats and stand up there with her, in front of him. She then had the whole class erupt in applause and cheers just to wake him." Beth started giggling as she remembered the way Carol had told it to her. "That poor kid. Woke up to an entire class going crazy on him."

The room broke out into laughter again at Beth's story, with only one exception. Noah had seemed to sink further onto the ground before Bob noticed him and drew everyone's attention to him.

"Noah, was that you?" He shouted. The room got quiet as all eyes went to him.

Noah looked around the room, his dark skin seeming to turn darker by the second. "Ah, shit. I was tired, man!" If possible, the room broke out into louder hysterics, everyone laughing harder than their breathing could keep up. Daryl's arm slid off of Beth's shoulder so that he could clap his hands and lean forward in laughter. Beth had her face buried in her hands, almost as if trying to keep the laughter from escaping any further. Even Noah had rolled to his side, clearly just as amused at hearing his own story as everyone else had been.

"Oh my, I think that's the sign that it's time to go." Sasha said as she stood up, wiping the tears from her face. "There's no way anything is going to top that tonight."

"Yeah, I should head out too, find a hole to bury myself into" Noah chuckled as he jumped to a standing position.

The rest of the party slowly got up and started to head out as well, hugs and goodbyes being exchanged amongst everyone. Finally a few remained, as Beth and Daryl began the transition out.

Tyreese and Daryl, who had really hit it off, chatted by the door as Beth went into the kitchen to help Susan and Meg finish loading the final round of dishes into the washer before they left.

"I need you to promise right now that I'll be seeing more of you in the future" Meg told her as she handed back the clean cake tray Beth had brought earlier.

"With our without Daryl" Meg finished with a kind wink.

"I would love that." Beth said as she hugged Meg, giving her the tightest hug she could muster.

"Preferably with Daryl" Susan added, earning her a quick swat from her mother. Susan laughed and gave Beth an equally affectionate hug. "It was fantastic meeting you" Susan whispered as she released her.

"It was my honor to meet you both" she held Susan's hands as she turned and looked at Meg.

Daryl walked in moments later and went straight to Meg, pulling her into a bear hug

"My Megan. You take care of yourself you hear?" He made sure to look her straight in the eyes as the last word. Meg shook her head and placed both hands on his face, pulling it down softly so that she could kiss his forehead. She angled her head slightly and whispered something that caused his ears to turn red. He nodded and chuckled softly as he released her and turned to Susan.

"Bye sweetheart. Never quit giving that man of yours shit" he laughed as he hugged her.

"You know me too well" she smiled as she squeezed him back. She leaned further and whispered something to him as well. Daryl shook his head as he pulled away, looking at her with mock exasperation.

"Damn McBride women" he huffed as he walked towards Beth.

* * *

><p>The drive back was quiet and somber, a contrast so strong from the previous hour that the silence nearly made Beth's ears hurt.<p>

She turned to look at Daryl's profile, his features prominent in the closeness of the truck. Still blaming the alcohol running through her body, Beth reached out and touched his cheek, the exact location she had kissed him and where he had placed his own hand hours before. She felt him smile under her fingers.

"Trying to take advantage of me, Greene?"

She giggled as she brought her hand down. "You wish" she smiled as she focused forward, staring at the dark road ahead of her.

A few minutes later, Beth was missing his voice.

_Want him to talk to you? Talk!_

"So," she started, searching for conversation. "Whose idea was it for the garden?"

He turned and smiled "Why, did you like it?"

She nodded "Yes, it was lovely."

He turned his focus back on the road, turning on the blinkers as he came to a stop. "Actually, it was Meg's idea. She wanted to do something special in remembrance." He gently turned the wheel.

"She said you got it from your greenhouse?"

Daryl smiled as he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. "Well, not really mine." He turned to look at Beth again "The greenhouse technically belongs to the university. It's the one by the science department."

"Oh yeah." Beth remembered when it was built, about five years ago, and how much time and money had gone to it. The press was all over the construction of the greenhouse; apparently it was a big deal, nothing like it for hundreds of miles. It was supposed to be beautiful, housing a huge variety of plants and vegetation. Beth had never gone to see it, much to the dismay of her family.

"I oversee much of the production in there. Making sure things run smoothly, the temperature doesn't get too hot or cold. Making sure the sprinklers don't fail, that nothing but the best is grown."

"That sounds amazing."

He looked at her again and just smiled, raising his head a little with pride. She looked out the window again, surprised that they were already at her street. She felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of going inside her apartment alone.

_It's okay Beth, not like its anything new._

He slowed down in front of her apartment "Well, let's find a place to park so I can walk you up-"

"No!" she exclaimed earning herself a confused look from him.

"I mean, you don't have to. It's already late" she was practically fumbling as she reached for the lock. The thought of having an awkward farewell at her doorstep seemed a little more than she was ready for at the moment. She didn't want to have to say goodbye in such an intimate way, close her apartment door on him, hearing him walk away… nope, she wasn't having that right this moment. Better to end it sweetly right here.

"Anyway" Beth attempted again "I don't want you to have to go through the trouble of parking when you can just leave me here right in front of the door." She smiled sweetly at him, hoping she hadn't offended him with her insecurities.

"Alright" he said as he parked his truck outside the apartment doors, still looking a bit confused.

She got out of and walked around to the driver's side, Daryl having rolled down the windows by the time she reached him. She put both hands on the window frame as she looked into his blue eyes.

"Thank you so much for bringing me today. It was truly special, and something I won't soon forget."

He shrugged as he looked at her "Nah, thank you for coming. I don't think I would have been able to handle all that on my own." It was her turn to be puzzled as he looked past her to the door.

"You best get in there now. Like you said, it's already late." He smiled as she rolled her eyes. She held on to the window pane a bit longer before pushing herself off, waving at him when she got to the door. She took the stairs two at a time to the second floor, and let herself in to her little space. She turned on the radio in her room as she got ready to go to turn in.

As she finished her nightly routine and crawled onto bed, a wave of emotions engulfed her, leaving her momentarily frozen. A pull between sadness and joy tugged at her, neither emotion staying long enough for her to drown in. Before she realized what was happening she was crying. Not out of sadness, but out of necessity. Slowly, her tears changed into something new. They weren't tears of loss, but of hope and possibilities.

She cried for a few minutes longer before she clicked off the lights, not bothering to turn off the radio. She hummed along to the chorus and then slowly began to sing before sleep claimed her.

_There will come a time, you'll see_

_With no more tears and love will not break your heart_

_But dismiss your fears_

_Get over your hill and see, what you find there,_

_With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair._

**A/N: Special thanks to my Spirit Animal, who convinced me to keep this chapter fluffy, because in her words "We need fluff. Like we need air and baked goods."**

**By the way: I'm no botanist, so everything I learned about flower meanings comes from internet searches. And I apologize if the timeline is a bit odd. I'm still new to writing, having taken a 20 year break, so my transitions are still a work in progress.**

**P.s. I'm having a really hard time showing you all how much you mean to me, and how much I value every review/PM/fav/follow. It's never going to get old, how much I love you all for it. Never. Ever. **

**I'll see you all on the other side of this MSF. **

**Song Credit: "After the Storm" by Mumford and Sons**


	19. Two Can Play

**I own nothing TWD**

Beth woke up earlier than she wished she had, turning over and seeing it was before seven. A Sunday morning talk show was playing in the background, and it took her a second to realize she had left the radio on. She smiled softy at the memory of her Saturday, and then groaned when she attempted to get up, realizing she was slightly hung-over. She forced herself up and prepared some coffee before heading back to bed. She didn't have any plans that day, thinking she was going to need all of Sunday to recoup from an emotional day. But she wasn't feeling emotional; she had poured her feelings out last night before passing out.

After a few minutes, she got up again, figuring she might as well start fully waking up. She sat on her couch, book in hand, drinking her coffee as she leisurely turned the pages of the novel she had read so often she practically had it memorized. She heard her phone ding in the other room, but was too lazy to get up and check it.

_What to do today _she wondered, happy to have a whole day to herself_._

Right as she thought of the perfect morning plans she heard her phone ding again. She walked back to her room and put on a simple black skirt and white tank top, then braided her hair to her side. She was looking for her comfy sneakers when the phone went off again. She cursed as she turned to look for it, knowing it could only be one person messaging her at the moment.

Just as she suspected, she glanced at the phone and saw that Maggie had sent her three messages.

_Mr. Blue is HOT!_

"Oh geese," Beth groaned as she scrolled down to the next one.

_No really, good going there Bethy._

"Yep, yep, I did good" she sarcastically answered, though didn't type it.

The last message was pretty long, but it made Beth smile.

_Just so you know, I only stopped by yesterday because I knew you were going to be a nervous mess, and I wanted to distract you. I'd rather have you irritated at me than a wreck in front of him. And what do you know, it worked! Call me later, I can't wait to hear all about the brunch ;)_

"Oh Maggie, you know me so well." She was about to type a message full of love and gratitude before she received a last message.

_Also, I really wanted to see what he looked like. HOT!_

* * *

><p>This morning was particularly brutal. Beth already felt the sweat pooling at her lower back as she got out of her truck, yet she couldn't think of a better way of spending the morning than at the farmers market. She removed her sunglasses for a second, drying off some sweat that had gathered on the lens before putting them back on.<p>

She started humming to herself as she walked towards her destination. She had completely gone through all of the pear-honey jam Daryl had purchased her, and she was eager to buy some more for her and Maggie. It was going to be the fourth of July in a couple of days, and she was going to bake some pies that would taste great with the jam. As she reached the stand, she put her sunglasses on her head. She wiped the sweat that was just above her cheek bone and wiped it on her skirt as she looked at all the jars, trying to find the one she wanted.

"If I could make a recommendation?" A nice looking Hispanic man stepped into her view and greeted her with a warm smile. She couldn't help but reciprocate it.

"A recommendation?" Beth repeated.

The man nodded and turned around reaching for a jar with a green pepper sticker on the lid

"You wouldn't believe it, but jalapeño jelly is quite delicious. A combination of sweet and spicy, something I'm sure you're familiar with."

"Ew," Beth scrunched her nose and giggled, not quite sure how to react but reaching for the jar anyway.

"No seas latoso, Caesar" the owner of the jam stand laughed from across the tent. Both Beth and the man identified as Caesar turned to look at him. "Dejarla en paz" the older man continued as he straightened out some jars in front of him.

"No te metas, Javier" the man scolded at him before turning back to Beth "He's telling me not to bother you and leave you alone" he translated, causing her to laugh.

"He's not bothering me, thank you though" she smiled at the older man and looked down at the jalapeño jelly. Javier laughed as he shook his head and went to sit back in his folding chair.

She turned to the man who was still looking at her. She felt odd not saying anything to him, and figured it wouldn't hurt to chat. "So, you know a lot about jams?"

"I know a lot about a lot of things" he smiled "how about I take you out and you can pick my brain."

Beth took a second to mentally check herself. She had pretty much rolled out of bed and changed into the first thing she found. She hadn't even showered for goodness sakes, and she was fairly sure she had forgotten to put on deodorant. She was sure she smelled. With all this in mind, how was someone actually flirting with her, let alone actually asking her out?

She scanned his face, noting that he had a little frown on her face. _Oh no, he thinks I'm rejecting him._

"Oh, sorry, I'm barely waking up right now and I'm just…"she shrugged and looked at him. He was cute, she'd give him that. He had soft features that made him look kind, and despite his bad pick up line, he wasn't giving off a creepy vibe.

_Why not?_ She thought for a few seconds before turning fully to him

"That sounds like an incredible opportunity there, picking your brain and all" she smiled, feeling the warmth return to her face. "But I can't. I'm, uh…seeing someone at the moment."

_Well, It's kinda true._

"Of course you are, linda." Ceasar said with no malice at all. "Someone as beautiful as you isn't running around unclaimed."

"Oh." Beth brought her hand to her mouth, thrilled that a total stranger paid her such a sweet compliment. "What a lovely thing to say" she managed through her embarrassed smile.

"It's the truth" he gestured towards Javier, still sitting in his chair and watching their interaction.

"Well, if you ever change your mind, I'm here a lot" he waved at Javier and smiled a toothy grin at Beth before turning around and walking away.

Beth smiled to herself as she continued searching for her honey jam, making a mental note to share that story with Maggie when she finally called her back.

"You sure have a way of making men fawn for you, don't you Beth?" Beth turned towards the voice and felt her heart swell.

"Michonne!" She walked up to her quickly and gave her a hug.

"You're always sneaking up on me, that's just not fair!" Beth beamed as she leaned back to look at her.

"Well, I use to be a hunter." She grinned, gently squeezing her arms before releasing Beth. "Had to learn to be sneaky. I see you had to turn down another poor guy" Michonne teased as she looked in the direction Caesar had left. Beth looked at her in confusion "Carl being the other one?" Michonne clarified with a wink.

Beth rolled her eyes as she turned to pay for her jams. "Yeah, that's me. Complete heart breaker."

"Good for you Beth, make them work for it. That's how I got Rick."

Beth smiled at that comment. She'd only met him once, but she could tell Rick was a good man. Michonne had done well.

"Where's Cadie?" Beth realized as she watched Michonne pick up a couple of jars.

"Carl's watching her right now. It's too hot to have her out. Plus, mom likes some alone time." She picked up a jar of rhubarb and orange jelly. Beth had missed that one and went to pick it up as well.

"I love oranges, I bet I can make something yummy with this." She spoke as she looked at the jar.

"You bake?"

Beth nodded "I love to. I'm baking pies and bread for my family's 4th of July barbeque. Really, I'll use any excuse to bake stuff."

Michonne nodded as she signaled to Javier she was ready to pay. "Well, with these jams, I'm sure it'll be delicious, whatever you make. A good friend of ours told us about this stand, and I've been coming here ever since."

Beth nodded as she reached into her wallet to get some more cash "Yeah, a friend of mine told me about this place too. Though he says it was just to get me to make more treats for him."

"Would this be the same friend you turned down that gentleman for?" Michonne laughed at seeing Beth's face turn red.

"Oh, no. I'm not seeing anyone. He was just so sweet, I didn't want to flat out turn him down." She shrugged as she put the orange jam in her bag.

"What about Shane?"

Beth turned and looked at her, surprised that she would remember his name. She'd only brought him up in passing a while back.

"No, we're not together anymore."

Michonne stared at her for a second before giving her a small smile "It's probably for the best."

Beth returned Michonne's smile as she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Well, you're a sweet and beautiful girl; I have a feeling you'll have someone eating up your goods in no time."

Beth smiled "Well, there is someone who really enjoys my goods…" she paused and looked up at Michonne who stared back, both women realizing how suggestive their comments had been.

"Oh no, that's not what I meant" Beth burst into laughter and Michonne joined her. They continued laughing until they were interrupted by Michonne's phone. She was still chuckling as she answered "Hello? Hey handsome. No, I'm at the market. I ran into Beth here"

She turned to address Beth "Rick says hi."

Beth waved awkwardly at the phone.

"She says hi back." Michonne continued and started walking down the street, Beth following. "That's a great idea, but I think she said she already has plans with her family." She paused "Oh Rick, you hopeless romantic. I'll call you back in a bit." She shook her head as she hung up.

"Rick wanted to know if you wanted to join us for Fourth of July" she smiled, answering Beth's unasked question.

Beth was touched "Aw, that was so sweet of him" she blushed a little then asked "what about that hopeless romantic comment?"

Michonne laughed as she led them both to a fruit stand nearby "he thought you might hit it off with a friend of his that's coming over. Rick can be a damn sap sometimes."

Beth scanned the fruit stand and made her way to the apples, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Actually" Michonne said after a few seconds. "You might know him, he works at the-" a loud pounding made both women turn towards the street to see a woman dressed in black strumming on an electric guitar. Within seconds another woman joined her, then another, then a young man followed suit. Suddenly, a wave of about twenty students, some of which Beth recognized from the campus came rushing out, and started to dance elaborately to the rhythm of the guitars. After a few minutes, the young man stood on top of a crate and began to sing. "Mother I can hear your foot-fall, now. Soft disturbance in the dead- fall how. It precedes you like a black smoke pall, still the wanting comes in waves…"

Both Michonne and Beth were enthralled by the impromptu performance in front of them. After a few more versus a women, apparently playing the role of the mother, pushed the man off the crate and took his place, singing about saving the young man from the brink of death, and mocking him for taking her love for granted. The lyrics were haunting, and the singing amazing, Beth got chills. After the performance, the crowd went crazy, applauding and cheering them as they quietly picked up their stuff and took off in various directions.

"That was unexpected" Michonne said, shaking herself from her stupor.

"It was beautiful," Beth whispered, still watching the area where the performance had been. Yep, coming to the market was a good idea.

* * *

><p>Monday morning dragged like very few mornings did. It was two days before the holiday break, so the few people who remained on campus moved slower than usual, including the delivery guys that were supposed to drop off the final round of textbooks. Beth was in Tara's office while both girls played on their phones. They were the only ones in the library at the moment, and had nothing else to do until the books arrived.<p>

Every once in a while Tara would send her a text message, even though they were less than three feet away.

_You should have kissed him._

"Ha!" Beth said loudly as she typed her response.

_I was too emotional. I probably would have started bawling._

Tara laughed

_It would have at least been a memorable kiss._

"Oh yeah, very memorable." Beth looked up at her friend "I'm sure that's what every guy wants. A girl blubbering as they make out"

"I love a blubbering girl" Tara joked "it usually means she's deep."

Beth laughed as she went back to her game of solitaire. She was about to move a king over to a blank space when her game was interrupted by another message.

_What are the odds I can get you to come out to lunch early?_

"If we do, who'll take the order?" Beth asked her friend. Tara looked up from her phone with a confused look.

"What?"

Beth quickly looked down at her phone again and realized the message hadn't come from Tara.

"Oh…" she said quietly. She looked back at Tara "Sorry, I, um, got a message from Daryl."

"He has your number?" Tara sat up straight in her chair.

"Yeah, I gave it to him for this weekend. He wants to know if I can come out to lunch early today."

Tara smiled wide. "Go" she encouraged her. "You know these books aren't coming today."

Beth knew it was true. It was too close to the holidays, books ordered around that time always arrived mid-July. Beth puckered her lips as she thought for a few more seconds, and then made up her mind.

"You're right. I'm doing it." She got up and looked down at her friend "You should come with. I don't want you stuck here alone."

"Nah, I'll be fine. Amy's on her way up anyway. She's just as busy as we are at the moment." She smiled wide again. "Go" she said before standing and leading her out the office door. Beth practically ran to her office to get her stuff, but not before stopping to respond to his message.

_I'll see you in five._

* * *

><p>Beth was surprised she had survived the walk from the library to the theater. She had nearly been run over by two trucks that had, for whatever reason, chosen to drive through the campus walkway. <em>Okay don't go exaggerating, they did honk to let you know they were approaching.<em>

A moment later she heard another vehicle drive up behind her. This one at least had the decency to slow down as it swerved around her. "What the heck is going on here?" She whispered to herself as she saw the large truck disappear at the theater entrance.

"Oh no…" she stopped, realization finally dawning on her. "Ugh, not this again." She begrudgingly continued her walk as she made her way towards their spot. Not surprising, Daryl was already there, and from the looks of it he was as annoyed as she was.

_Well, at least you won't have to worry about any awkward talk_

She hated herself that moment for having that thought. The last time she saw him she had left him in a hurry, overcome by her own emotions and uncertainty. At least now she had something to redirect to.

"So it looks like the theater department is at it again." She said in way of greeting as she plopped next to him. Daryl grunted in response, not taking his eyes away from the stage. She followed his gaze to see the trucks lined along the edges of the arena, unloading large pieces of wood and staging. A handful of students were walking back and forth across the arena, busying themselves with their work as they talked and laughed loudly. The sounds of power tools and hammering echoed throughout the outdoor venue (the acoustic there really were good) making their usual peaceful haven a bit of a mess.

Beth shouldn't be annoyed, this happened every year, although she always seemed to forget about it until it arrived. Out of spite she never went to any of the shows, something Tara always admonished her for.

"Those drama kids contacted me asking if I could supply plants for their show" Daryl said, still looking away.

Beth tried not to laugh at the disgusted look on his face. "Is that so?"

"Yeah." He gestured towards the stage "Said it was for a forest they wanted to build."

"What did you tell them?"

"Told them the school didn't pay thousands of dollars on greenery for them to yank it up and hot glue it onto a piece of plywood." He practically shoved a cigarette into his mouth and attempted unsuccessfully to light it. Beth watched in amusement as he struggled with the lighter.

"Those kids wanted crates of fireweed and poplar for their damn show." He mumbled to himself.

Beth was still struggling to keep from laughing. For whatever reason, this had hit a nerve for him, and she was going to let him have his moment. _It doesn't mean I can't have fun at his expense_

She reached out with both hands and covered his, effectively stopping him from his maddening clicks.

"Now Daryl" she scolded as she took the lighter from him. "It's important for us to support the arts" she smiled mischievously as she held his gaze. His lids lowered as if trying to figure out if she was serious. When he smiled back, hers widened as she leaned towards him, placing one hand on the ground between them to balance herself and easily flicking on the lighter with the other. He reached for her hand and pulled it close to light the end of his cigarette. She watched him still with a gleam in her eye, proud at herself for not blushing.

"You know Professor Dixon, these things will kill you." She shook his lighter at him when he released her hand.

"What did I tell you about sassin' me girl" he growled, though clearly he was enjoying the moment.

"You and your hollow threats" she cooed as she looked away, feeling her confidence start to give way to her usual awkward self.

They were silent for the next few minutes, Beth finishing her chicken salad while Daryl scanned the arena. She noticed his hair had gotten significantly longer, wondered how long it had been since he cut it. He'd also put on some weight, which was good in her opinion, since he was looking like the super-hero persona she had imagined him as before. The bags under his eyes were pretty much gone and he was smiling more, something she definitely had missed from her time stalking him.

She hadn't realized she was staring at him until a stage worker crossed her peripheral, essentially bringing her back to reality. She didn't think he noticed however since he also appeared to be lost in thought.

"So, penny for your thoughts?" She asked reaching for an apple slice.

He turned to her and stared.

"A dime?" She smiled at her own joke, holding his gaze. He continued to stare and shrugged in response.

"What does that mean?" She mimicked his shrug, not taking her eyes off of him.

They continued staring at each other until a crashing sound caused them both to jump in their seats. They turned at the same time to see a group of crew workers fumbling to unload several large railings up on the stage.

"It's a good thing I wasn't wishing for peace and quiet today" he grumbled as he turned back to Beth. She giggled and then froze as she heard a familiar song playing. She turned back to the stage and saw a young man playing an acoustic guitar. She couldn't make out the lyrics, but she recognized the melody as the same one that had interrupted her and Michonne the day before at the farmers market.

The young man's voice picked up as he reached the hook. "Still the wanting comes in waves. And I want this night…" he continued as his voice got lost in the construction noise.

She turned to Daryl who was staring at the musician.

_This is ridiculous._ Beth thought, suddenly feeling herself get mad._ You like Daryl. You really, really like him. You've been fawning over him for over a year. The ball's in your court so do something. _

"Hey, are you working tomorrow?"

He tilted his head and gave her that side glance that he all but trademarked.

"I mean," she continued as she looked down at her hands "I do, but just a half day. The library closes at 12. If you're here, maybe we should leave campus for lunch? Avoid all of this" she gestured towards the construction. She turned to look at him and saw him staring at the stage, playing with his hands, cigarette in his mouth. Beth felt a rush of heat fill her stomach at that sight of him, something she hadn't felt before. It was odd but somewhat exciting.

_Oh good god, Beth I think you're feeling lust for the first time…_

"No" he answered still looking at the stage. He took a final drag before putting it out on the ground next to him. He looked at her and winked when he saw her frowning. He was joking around with her.

"I'm not working tomorrow, but I'll still be here." He continued.

She kept the frown on her face. _Two can play this game_

His grin went away at her expression. He absentmindedly bit his thumb before clearing his throat. "I'd love to take you out somewhere outside of campus." He elaborated.

"Well that's too bad" she looked away and started to put her belongings back in her bag. "'Cause I invited you, so I'll be the one taking you out." She was proud of how even her voice was, how her hands weren't shaking as she slung her strap over her shoulder, and how she stood gracefully. Inside her heart was thumping, and she was pretty sure she would pass out as soon as she reached her office.

_Fake it till you make it_ Maggie always says. Beth was currently working on it.

She looked down at Daryl who was still sitting down, a look of amusement on his face as he turned up to look at her.

"Come get me at the library tomorrow. You remember where that's at, right?" She smiled wide before walking away towards the library.

The music continued from the stage, Beth pretended it was her victory chant.

"I'll return to you at break of light, for the wanting comes in waves…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I have no words. The MSF killed me. Absolutely killed me. I mourned the loss of Beth Greene for a good long time and I know I will never be over it. Thank you all for the kind messages of support (Especially Tania, Joise, Mily, and getkath) they really helped me get through this. A special thanks to goshbirdie who was pretty much with me when the whole thing went down, and provided the emotional support during that painful hour. Also, to the prettiest girl I know, my spirit animal, for just being so awesome and another huge support (also sooo pretty).**

**Definitely not least all of you wonderful readers! I started this story at a sad point in my life as a way to channel my feels into something good. The outpour of love and support completely humbled me and gave me the confidence to continue. Now, that our beautiful girl is gone from the show, I am going to make damn sure she lives on in this story. I have a lot of happy things in store for our Professor Dixon and Baker Beth, and I hope they give you some peace as they have for me. So come closely to the screen so I can give you all a huge hug. Thank you for being the loveliest group of readers this girl has ever known. **

**All the love,**

**Mir**

**Song Credit: "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" by The Decemberists **


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